My Fake Husband
by BittyAB18
Summary: When all of Beca's possessions are stolen, and Jesse finds out that his work visa is coming to an end, they decide to get married out of convenience. Will their marriage of convenience turn into something more? AU. Loosely based off of The Proposal and ABC Family's My Fake Fiance. Rated M for mature scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: I do not know anything familiar.**

**Song Recommendation:_ The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face_ by Roberta Flack**

**Author's Note: I **_**should not**_** be starting yet another story, but I had to. It has been plaguing me! I outlined this story ages ago. It is loosely based off of ABC Family's **_**My Fake Fiancé**_** and **_**The Proposal**_**. This story is completely AU. The characters are in their late twenties and early thirties. I am going to try to explain everything to you all, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! I am giving the Bellas and Trebles random last names. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Beca Mitchell sighed in relief when she saw that there was an open space in front of her apartment complex; she had lived in this complex for nearly four years. For approximately six months following her graduation from Barden University, she worked at a local Atlanta radio station, staying in contact with all of her friends from the Barden Bellas, the a cappella group she participated in. One of those people was Chloe Beale. Following the older redhead's graduation from Barden three years before Beca, she had moved to California, attending graduate school for her master's degree in public relations. After the two year program finished, she had gotten a job in the public relations department for Wharton Records. She always kept an eye for a possible position for Beca, who she knew wanted to produce music, so when there was an opening for an entry level position in the music production department, she told her younger friend and put in a good word for her with human resources. By the second full week of November, Beca was a resident of LA, crashing on Chloe's pull out couch, working at Wharton Records. It was the break she was looking for—the chance to start the process of becoming a famous music producer. Sure, the job didn't pay that much (which is why she lived on Chloe's couch for nearly four months before she had finally saved enough money up to afford rent at an apartment of her own), and she didn't get much of a chance to produce music for most of the last four and half years she had been working at Wharton Records, but it was still a start. Recently, she had been given the chance to have more of a role in production, and Beca was waiting for her final big break—to produce an entire album primarily by herself. She was excited that she even had the chance to get her name in a few album jackets on a couple of songs. She couldn't wait until the entire album had her name associated with it.

Beca was forever grateful to Chloe for all of her help in getting her the dream job she had always hoped for it. It was why she put up with Chloe's bullshit (a.k.a. trying to set her up on numerous occasions with stuffy guys from other Wharton departments and some of her boyfriend's friends from high school and college). Climbing from her car, grabbing her oversized black bag from the passenger seat (she wasn't a purse kind of girl, and she couldn't bring a briefcase to produce music, so she settled on shoulder bags—she had three: black, brown, and navy blue), she walked inside of the building, stopping at the mailboxes on her way to the elevator. Beca walked onto the elevator, hitting the button for her floor, and she began flipping through her mail. She came across a copy of _Cosmo_, several bills, junk mail circulars, a couple of letters (likely Christmas cards from friends and family), and one very important, tiny envelope. It had finally arrived, even though she knew that it was coming since the previous March (and again in September, with the save the date announcement). She shoved the rest of the mail inside of her bag and tore the envelope open, pulling out the small card with loopy gold cursive written on it. The invitation read:

Rebeca Charlotte Mitchell,

You have been cordially invited

to the blissful union of

Chloe Alexandria Beale

and

Dean Robert Wharton

to be held on

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Weddings and relationships weren't exactly Beca's thing, but she was happy for Chloe. The redhead began dating the son of the creator, president, and current CEO of Wharton Records about two and half years after she had started working at WR. Dean worked as the senior vice president of marketing and sales, so his department and Chloe's often interacted. After all of that time, Dean finally pulled his head out of his ass and asked the bubbly redhead out. After two years together, he proposed. Within six months, Chloe had the entire wedding planned (hence the arrival of the save the date card), but in reality, Beca thought that the redhead probably had her wedding planned since high school; it was just a matter of getting Dean to agree to all of the said wedding plans, contacting all of the right people, and registering for all of the right things. Within a week following her engagement, Chloe had already secured her four bridesmaids: Aubrey Posen (her best friend since freshman year at Barden and a fellow Barden Bella—the matron of honor), Beca, Jessica Keller (nee James, another Bella who was a year older than Beca), and Ella Whitman (her roommate from graduate school who had become a close friend). Beca had wanted to say no when Chloe asked her to be one of her bridesmaids, but she really loved the redhead like her sister (they had to get close considering that the second time Beca had ever spoken to her was when Chloe had accosted her in the shower in order to get her to audition for the Bellas).

The elevator dinged, indicating that it had arrived at her floor, and the doors opened. Beca stepped off, walking down the hallway to her apartment, digging around her bag for her keys. After she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she placed her bag down on the end table a few feet inside of her door, pulling off her lightweight jacket and hung it up on a hanger in the closet right by the doorway. She pulled the mail and her cell phone from her bag, walking further into her apartment. After sitting on her couch, dropping all of her mail in her lap, Beca dialed her phone. It barely rang twice before Chloe picked up on the other line. "Did it come today?!" Chloe squealed in Beca's ear, making her grimace and hold the phone away from her cheek.

"Hello to you, too," Beca muttered, rolling her eyes. Chloe scoffed, making Beca laugh. "Yes, it came today. I can't believe that in barely three months, you will be married to a guy who likes to go by the nickname of Hat." Dean apparently had a penchant for wearing backwards baseball caps all throughout college, so all of his buddies called him "Hat." She thought it was stupid and proceeded to make fun of him following the first party that Chloe and Hat had hosted at his apartment one year after they had gotten together. Chloe had invited all of the Bellas from Beca's freshman year, but only Beca, Fat Amy, Stacie, and Jessica had been able to make it to the party, because the four of them were LA residents and were more available to attend the party. A huge number of Dean's old friends from college had been there, and they kept calling him "Hat." Beca made fun of him, of course, which Dean took in stride, because it was their relationship. Now, she never let him live it down, sometimes calling him Hat at work in front of his dad's friends and the other higher ups, all of whom would look at both of them strangely. Mr. Wharton (she still didn't feel comfortable calling him Robert, even though he insisted) would always laugh, clapping both of them hard on the back, and say something about how he always thought his son's nickname from his college years was stupid, as well. She and Mr. Wharton got along pretty well after that.

"Oh, Jeeze, Beca. When are you going to let that go?" Chloe said, and Beca could hear her eye-roll.

"Did Hat figure out who his groomsmen are going to be?" Dean had been having trouble deciding just who he was going to ask to be his groomsmen, because he had a big family and a big group of friends. Narrowing it down to four was going to be very difficult for the man.

"Yes, he did. Finally," Chloe moaned into the phone. "His younger brother, Peter, is going to be the best man, of course. The other three groomsmen are going to be his friends Donald Bandari, Josh Williams—the guy who goes by Unicycle—and Jesse Swanson." Beca laughed when Chloe brought up another one of her favorite nicknames from Dean's old group of friends. Seriously, Unicycle? Apparently, the guy spent all of college riding around on a unicycle, hence his nickname. The final nickname that made her laugh so hard that she nearly peed her pants the first time she had heard it was Bumper. What the hell kind of nickname was Bumper? When she heard Chloe say the final name, she groaned. Her head fell back onto her couch, and she pouted. She had met Donald, Unicycle, Bumper, and Jesse at the same party where she had discovered Dean's nickname of Hat. Chloe had tried to set her up with Jesse several times after that party, because she thought that the two of them would be cute together and had a lot in common (they both worked in music—that was it).

"Don't say it, Chlo!" Beca could smell the setup coming.

"C'mon, Beca," Chloe whimpered. "Peter is married, Donald is married, and we both know that you would never date Unicycle purely because he still enjoys being called Unicycle by his close friends, but Jesse is great. He is cute, funny, and charming!"

"He is also an egotistical ass who is ridiculously nerdy and obsessed with movies. How many more times can I tell you that there is nothing gonna happen with us?"

"You two would be totally cute together! Look, Peter as the best man is going to be walking with Aubrey, as the matron of honor, down the aisle. Then, Donald and Jessica. Then, you and Jesse. Then, Unicycle and Ella."

"I would rather walk down the aisle with Unicycle," Beca muttered. She wasn't in the mood for the obvious setup.

"Beca, this is my day. I'm asking you to get over all of your bullshit opinions about Jesse and suck it up for my wedding. Please?" Beca groaned, but she couldn't deny Chloe what she asked. She loved the redhead, so she would do anything for her, including put aside her "bullshit opinions" about one Jesse Swanson.

"Fine." She said. She would do this for Chloe, but it didn't mean that she had to like it.

* * *

Three months later, Beca was seated in a big reception hall where Chloe's wedding was held. She had played the dutiful bridesmaid, fetching things for Chloe when needed, helping Aubrey plan the perfect bachelorette party, and dealing with Jesse during the rehearsal and other wedding party gatherings. She flagged down one of the waiters, grabbing a glass of champagne, and took a big sip. She was seated at the table where the wedding party sat near the stage and dance floor. She smiled as she watched Chloe and Dean dancing, along with most of the other guests at the reception. She wasn't the dancing type, but she was happy for one of her closest friends. She groaned when a familiar body dropped into the chair beside her. "Hey," Jesse said, grinning as he stole the glass from her hands and took a sip.

"Hey!" Beca pouted, reaching for her glass again. "Not fair, Swanson." She glared at him when he refused to hand the glass back at her, holding it high above his head (and hers). "I hate you."

"Aww! I love you, too, Beca Mitchell." He replied, winking at her. He downed the rest of her champagne, putting the glass down in front of her. She smacked his up arm, raising her hand again to call another waiter. "C'mon, Mitchell. It is customary for us to dance. It is a wedding."

"No." She said, not looking at him as she smiled gratefully at the waitress that wandered over to their table with a tray of drinks. She grabbed one, passing it to him, before grabbing another. "Here's to you not stealing another one of my drinks, since you have your own." She said, tapping the glass in her hand against his. She took a sip, savoring the flavor of the alcohol on her tongue.

"I was just trying to save you from a headache in the morning, Beca." Jesse told Beca as he sipped his second glass of champagne. "You know as well as I do that you can't hold your alcohol well." She glared at him as she took a sip of her drink.

"Shut up." She said in a very low, deadly voice. He just smirked at her.

"I never did tell you how much I enjoyed our first impromptu make out session, but I think I would prefer it if the next time it happens we—and by we, I really mean you—are completely sober, because we both know what happens when you drink too much." Okay, so she may or may not have gotten drunk at one of the many gatherings over the years where Chloe attempted to set Beca up with Jesse, and she may or may not have made out with him before throwing up on his shoes.

"I think I actually enjoyed the puking on your shoes thing way more than the kissing." She leaned over and pretended to whisper to him. "You should really work on your kissing abilities. You can practice on a pillow or piece of fruit or something." She sat back and took another sip of her drink.

"I've never had any complaints before, and if I remember correctly, you were pretty into it, until the whiskey decided to make its reappearance." Jesse said, leaning over to talk quietly into her ear, his breath tickling her skin. "I remember you moaning slightly into the kiss, and even a 'oh, Jesse,' or two."

Beca turned her head so that their faces were barely inches apart. "Actually, the moans were from the nausea that resulted from the mixture of the alcohol and the fact that you were trying to gag me with your tongue. And the 'oh, Jesse' was just a warning of how much you actually made me want to hurl." She finished off her drink.

"The ceremony was beautiful, don't you think?" He said, changing the subject suddenly. She rolled her eyes.

"It was so Chloe." She glanced down at the short navy blue dress that Chloe had insisted that she wore. The colors that Chloe had chosen were white and blue. The bridesmaids had worn all different styles of dresses of varying shades of blue. Aubrey had worn a light periwinkle blue, then Jessica had worn a darker shade of light blue, then Beca in a lighter shade of navy blue, and then Ella was wearing a blue so dark that it was nearly black. "She picked blue because it brings out her eyes." She told him, rolling her eyes again.

"She looked beautiful." Jesse said, and Beca nodded, agreeing with him.

"Happy, too." She looked down the table cloth, a shade of blue that resembled Jessica's dress. "I don't buy into all this romance, wedding, live happily ever after bullshit, but Chloe does, so I agreed to be her bridesmaid. She is my best friend, so I put aside all of this crap just to make sure she had the best day. I also verbally threatened to cut of Dean's junk if he ever cheated on her or hurt her in any way." She told him seriously, making him laugh.

"I love this kind of stuff. I love the romance; I love the idea of finding your soul mate and standing up before everyone you love and declaring your love for them." She scoffed, looking at the dreamy look on his face.

"You are such a weirdo. I bet you get your whole idealized view of marriage and love from those stupid movies you love to watch."

"Movies aren't stupid."

"They aren't realistic either."

"So, what? Sure, there are a lot of movies that have no basis in reality, but what is wrong with using them as an escape or as an idea of what could be?"

"Jesse, if you base all of your hopes and dreams on works of _fiction_, then you are going to be sorely disappointed when things don't work out the way that you thought they would. The guy doesn't always get the girl. The good person who did one bad thing for the greater good doesn't get away with it; they get thrown in jail. The tiny girl who didn't have sex with another character doesn't have the physical capability to be stabbed repeatedly, thrown out a window, and then run for like a mile and a half before she decides to suddenly fight back against the serial killer that is hunting her down. That is real life."

"You are so jaded." Jesse shook his head, grabbing another two glasses of champagne from another waiter than wondered by. He handed the glass to Beca after giving her a pointed look that said 'don't puke on me again.' "It is okay to have something to look forward to. Sure, things don't always go the way they do in the movies, but sometimes they do. Look at Chloe and Hat. You don't think that they could live happily ever after? You don't think that they could grow old together and have a bunch of kids and be happy for the rest of their lives."

Beca's jaw tightened, and she took a huge gulp of her champagne. She refused to look at him; instead, she kept her gaze pointedly on the crowd of people dancing. "She deserves that; if there is someone that should have that life, it is Chloe." She licked her bottom lip.

"But, you don't think it exists?"

"Not for me. Like you said, I am too jaded for believing in fantasy. The only good things that come from weddings are the gifts and the cash." She swallowed the last of her champagne and stood up, walking away before he had a chance to respond.

Beca wandered towards her old Bella friends. Fat Amy had arm wrapped around her husband's arm (she and Bumper had hit it off at that first party, and they were now married and "living the dream"); Lilly was whispering to a small Asian man beside her, her boyfriend, who spoke just as quietly and similarly disturbing things like she did. Stacie was readjusting her breasts in her dress that barely covered much more than her nipples and fell barely low enough to cover her ass or lady bits, not caring that Denise, Cynthia Rose, their girlfriends, and probably half of the reception hall was staring at her. Jessica was chatting with Ashley, Aubrey, and their husbands. Chloe came bounding up on the stage, shimming in a little when everyone cheered for her. "Hey, everyone! I just wanted to thank you all for coming out share today with Dean and me. We love you all so much for it." She blew everyone a bunch of kisses, smiling broadly. "Now, the reason why I am up here is because it is time for the fun part of the evening! I am inviting everyone up here to sing a little something."

Beca groaned, shaking her head. Only Chloe would think it would be fun to have karaoke or whatever this was at her wedding. She rolled her eyes as the redhead looked pointedly in her direction. Beca shook her head. "No way, Wharton." Chloe grinned at the fact that Beca had called her by her new last name.

"C'mon, Beca! You know you wanna sing for me!" She said into the microphone, looking around the reception hall. "Wouldn't you all love to hear one of my closest friends in the world sing!?" The entire reception hall clapped. Beca continued to shake her head. "Please, Beca? For me, because you love me so freaking much!?"

Beca groaned before throwing her hands up in defeat. She walked up on the stage and stuck her tongue out at Chloe. "You are lucky I love you so much. Especially, because I am about to sing a love song for you and your new hubby." She rolled her eyes and walked over to the band, letting them know what song she wanted to sing. They grinned, nodding their heads. Beca made her way up to the microphone, taking a deep breath. Chloe had returned to the dance floor, wrapping an arm around Dean's waist, who pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Beca took a deep breath as the band started up. She kept her eyes focused on Chloe and Dean. "I love you both very much." She told them, waiting for her cue to come in. "Yes, even though Dean still continues to go by the freaking nickname of Hat. Loser." She added, grinning before she began to sing.

_"The first time ever I saw your face  
I thought the sun rose in your eyes  
And, the moon and stars were the gifts you gave  
To the dark and the endless skies, my love  
To the dark and the endless skies _

_"The first time ever I kissed your mouth  
I felt the earth move in my hand  
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird  
That was there at my command, my love  
That was there at my command, my love_

_"And, the first time ever I lay with you  
I felt your heart so close to mine  
And I knew our joy would fill the earth  
And last till the end of time, my love  
And, it would last till the end of time, my love_

_"The first time ever I saw your face_  
_Your face, your face, your face."_

Beca finished the song, and everyone in the reception hall began clapping. She rolled her eyes slightly, bowing her head in thanks before rushing off the stage, completely embarrassed. She hadn't sung in front of people since college. Chloe came rushing over, throwing her arms around her shoulders. "That was so beautiful, Beca. Thank you!" The redhead was crying, which made Beca tear up, as well. She buried her face into Chloe's neck, hugging her tightly back. She was so happy that Chloe had found her happiness with Dean. If there was anyone who deserved it, it was Chloe, because she was such a warm, kind person. They broke the hug, and Beca pressed a kiss to Chloe's cheek.

"Go find your hubby and do indecent things with him on the dance floor." Chloe laughed and winked, rushing off to Dean. Beca felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to find herself facing Jesse.

"Wow, Beca," he said, clapping his hands a few times. "That was spectacular. I didn't know you could sing like that."

"Yeah, well, I only really sing in front of my friends. This was the first crowd I have sung in front of since college."

"You have a great voice. Interesting song choice, too." Beca rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I don't peg you as the love song type. The _Thong Song_, now that just screams Beca Mitchell." She flipped him off and started to walk away. "Aww, don't run away! You know you love talking to me!"

"Not really, but you keep coming around, like a stray cat that you feed once so that it doesn't starve to death and die on your front lawn. It keeps coming back for more, no matter how many times you try to shoo it away." Jesse laughed, walking over to Beca to throw an arm around her shoulder.

"I think we both know that you enjoy it, deep down in that tiny, Grinch-sized heart of yours."

"What's a Grinch?" She smiled at the pained look on his face.

"Oh, c'mon. You know that you read the book as a kid; you can't even pretend to not know who the Grinch is." She loved hinting at her lack of interest in movies at him at all costs, considering how much he loved movies and what he did for a living.

"I didn't read much as a child." She shrugged, pulling away from him finally.

"You're…I…gahh!" Jesse groaned, throwing his hands up before wandering away from him. Beca rolled her eyes at his retreating form.

* * *

Jesse Swanson didn't know what it was about this woman that simultaneously attracted, intrigued, and aggravated him. It wasn't like Beca Mitchell was the most beautiful woman in the world, the sexiest, the smartest, the funniest, the nicest, or the meanest; he had met plenty of pretty, sexy, smart, funny, nice, and even mean women in his day. Hell, he had met plenty of women who had combinations of those traits, but Beca had a combination of all of those traits—well, maybe not the nice thing. She was witty, and she got him riled up. She figured out just the right kind of buttons to push, and he didn't know if he liked her or if he disliked her after their interactions. They had known each other for nearly three years now, and each time he had the (dis)pleasure of interacting with her, he was always left feeling confused and conflicted.

After he had left the wedding, Jesse took the cab back to his current stomping grounds, an apartment he was subletting from some random person he found on Craigslist. He had recently made the move across the country, and with only a month left on the four months of this sublet before the real owners returned, Jesse was desperate to find his own apartment. He had just gotten a job working for a small production company, BioTerra, as an assistant composer after doing his due diligence of assisting other bigwigs in New York City following his graduation from NYU. Now that he had this job at BioTerra, Jesse actually had the chance to compose some of his own pieces—sure, he wasn't in line to win an Oscar anytime soon, but it was a step in the right direction. He had hoped that by twenty-eight, he would have had _one_ movie under his belt (aside from the student films that he had worked on in undergrad), but that wasn't the case. His goal was to at least to get his name in the credits by the time he was thirty. A guy could dream, right?

Jesse searched through his mail, seeing yet another bill from the storage unit that was holding all of his stuff from his NYC apartment, which made him groan. He hated not having his own place, because it was a complete waste of his money to store his real furniture while using the furniture of a complete stranger (he never brought people over, because this shit was fucking _ugly_). His cell phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket, groaning even louder when he read the name: _Edward Danielson_. He accepted the call. "Mr. Danielson, hey."

"Mr. Swanson, I was just calling to remind you of our appointment scheduled for Monday at ten in the morning. Mr. James sent your immigration paperwork to me following your change of residency to Los Angeles."

"Yes, I am looking forward to meeting with you, Mr. Danielson." They ended the call, and he tossed his phone to the side. He fucking hated dealing with immigration.

Jesse had scheduled to work from home on Monday, thankfully, because he wasn't sure how long the meeting with immigration would take. After his meeting with Edward Danielson, he felt like throwing himself off of a bridge, and he didn't know what he would have done if he had to go back to work after it was over. He couldn't believe what he did—said—in that meeting. He felt like a total asshole, and he royally fucked up for what happened in that meeting with Danielson. Jesse drove straight to the restaurant owned by his college friend Bumper and his wife, Amy, a friend of Chloe and Beca's, named by Amy as _Tasmania_. He had been sincerely concerned that he would be eating kangaroo the first time he ate there, but Bumper assured him that he wasn't serving anything other than the normal beef, chicken, et cetera. He needed to rant to people he was sure would understand where he was coming from, considering that Amy was born and raised in Australia and had to deal with immigration following graduating from Barden University.

He parked his car (one that he had leased, since he had no need for a car in New York City) and walked into the restaurant. Jesse couldn't tell if there was a difference between _Tasmania_ and _Outback Steak House_, aside from the stuffed (hopefully, fake, but with Amy, you can't always be sure) Australian animals set up around the room and that there was a bar set up in the center of the open dining room. He waved to Bumper who was berating one of his employees in the corner of the room. He walked over to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila from the bartender. Bumper came over and dropped onto the stool beside him, nodding to the bartender to give him a shot, too. Jesse and Bumper clicked their glasses against each others before knocking them back.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Bumper asked Jesse as the bartender poured them two more drinks.

"I went to see my immigration agent today."

"Yuck. That shit was _fun_ when Amy had to deal with all of that." Bumper said sarcastically.

"Well, my temporary work visa is up in four months. I tried to get an extension, but it isn't possible. I asked about a permanent green card, and I don't fit the criteria enough. I…just…uggh!"

"Shit. Seriously?"

"Yeah, and it's not like BioTerra is gonna be like, 'oh, we _need_ Jesse.' No, they can find another person to do my job, so I am stuck with going back to Canada. Fuck, Canada." He said knocking back the shot. Bumper cocked an eyebrow at him. "Okay, so I love my home, but this is what I have wanted to do since I was a kid. I finally got to the point where I am within reach of my dream, and I have to go back?"

"Here, you need this more than me." Bumper slid his second shot over to Jesse. "So, what happens now?"

"Well, I kind of need to talk to Amy…I kind of screwed up, and I need her help."

"Yeah, I will go get her." Bumper stood up and left Jesse alone at the bar. A few moments later, he returned with his wife, the blond Aussie grinning and hugging Jesse in a way that had his face pressed into her boobs. It was awkward, considering her husband/his friend was standing about two feet away.

"What's up, hot stuff?" Amy asked as she sat down beside Jesse. The bartender slid a shot in front of her. Jesse quickly retold his story. "Shit! This fucking blows," she said, hitting her shot glass against his. The two of them knocked the shots back. The bartender dropped off another round of shots for all three of them. This was Jesse's fourth shot in a short time frame, and he was starting to feel kind of buzzed.

"Yeah, well, my story gets worse. I kind of screwed up, and I need your help."

"What can I do? I can get you my immigration lawyer's number, but there isn't much more I could do." Amy said, shrugging.

"Well, here's the thing. The first thing that popped into my head was 'Amy got married to Bumper, and she became a citizen.'"

"You didn't…" Amy said, her eyes widening.

"Wait? What? Amy is married to me, so you can't marry her." Bumper added, confused.

"He doesn't mean me." Amy told him, staring at Jesse. "She will never agree to it, Swanson. She doesn't believe in marriage and all that shit."

"I know! I don't know what the fuck was going through my head!" He groaned, dropping his head down onto the bar. "I am such an asshole. But, in a way, it makes her kind of perfect, because it is a sham wedding."

"Seriously, what the hell is going on?" Bumper asked.

"I was just sitting there, in that meeting, freaking out. Like, what the fuck am I supposed to do? Then, I thought of you two and your marriage, and I was like, 'I'm engaged!'" Jesse ran a hand through his hair. "Then, the agent asked me what her name was, and I said Beca Mitchell. Like, what the fuck?! Why did I say her name? Why of all the women I know in the United States did I have to say her name?"

"Oh, fuck." Bumper said. He lifted the shot to his lips and drank it. Jesse nodded his head, following suit. He was sufficiently buzzed now, so he ignored the huff from Amy when he grabbed her shot and downed that one, too. "Well, you were just at the wedding with her. And, you guys did walk down the aisle together."

"I can't believe you stole my shot." Amy muttered, crossing her arms and pouting like a small child.

"Ames, I think he needs it more than you. The guy just lied to the US government." Bumper whispered, so as not to attract the attention of the bartender. "He said he was engaged to a woman who he is _not_ engaged to. What is he going to do?"

"I'm gonna call Beca and see if she and Stacie are willing to come to lunch. They were packing up her stuff and moving it to her new condo today." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly scrolled through her contacts to find Beca's number. The phone rang, and Amy grinned when Beca finally picked up. "Beca, hey, listen—wait? What? Are you kidding me? Dude, you can't be serious right now? Is she stupid?! Wait, don't answer that…it's Stacie." Amy pressed a hand to her forehead. "Alright, calm down. Why don't you come to the restaurant, Bumper will pay for it, and we can talk. The alcohol is flowing at _Tasmania_." She said, looking at Jesse who had his head buried in his arms on the top of the bar. "She's on her way," she said when she got off the phone with Beca. "This might not be the best time to talk to her about this, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jesse asked, raising his head to look at Amy.

"You'll see."

* * *

Beca was beyond pissed at Stacie. She couldn't even look at her. She climbed out of her car, slamming the door behind her. She finally decided to splurge, buy a new place in the same gated-community where Dean and Chloe got a place. It was her first real purchase, and she was excited. She had saved and saved, and now she had her very own two-bedroom condo. Un-fucking-fortunately, Stacie was a stupid ass and left the fucking keys to the moving truck she had rented_ in _the ignition and someone had stolen all of her shit, except for her boxes of records and her laptop and mixing equipment. Her bed, her dresser, her clothing, all of it: _gone_. Beca tried to act like she didn't hate Stacie in that moment, but the truth of the matter is that she did. She opened the trunk of her car to double check that all of her records and laptop and such were still there. If she had lost all of this stuff, she probably would have screamed.

After shutting the trunk of her car, locking it, Beca marched her way inside of _Tasmania_. She stormed over to the bar, ignoring Bumper, Amy, and Jesse (what the fuck!?). She dropped into the seat beside Amy and slapped her hand on the top of the bar. "I need vodka. A lot of it. Preferably the whole bottle." She told the bartender.

"We've been drinking tequila." Jesse said, running a hand over his face. She cocked an eyebrow, because his eyes were glassy and his nose was red. The guy was well on his way to drunken oblivion. "This would be my sixth." He muttered, knocking back the shot.

"What's his problem?" Beca muttered, throwing back two shots of vodka in a row, wincing at the burn it left in her throat. "How drunk are you right now?"

"I'm not drunk," Jesse slurred. "You're just blurry." Beca's eyebrows rose, because there was no way in hell this guy was going to be walking out of the restaurant on his own.

"Immigration shit." Amy answered for him. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't fucking know. I can't exactly afford to fucking buy all new furniture _and_ clothing. I just spent pretty much all of my fucking savings on my new condo, and she left the fucking keys to the moving truck in the ignition!" Beca exclaimed, downing two more shots. She was no lightweight, but consuming four shots of vodka in barely five minutes wasn't exactly the smartest decision she ever made. She was already getting close to that blurry-vision thing that Jesse was talking about.

"Wow. That sucks…" Jesse said, holding a shot glass out towards Beca, who returned his toast. "To fucked up situations."

"Here, here." Beca responded, and they both knocked back their shots.

"Okay, time to cut you both off. Nothing more but water, Jim." Bumper said to the bartender, who nodded his head. Beca, Amy, and Bumper all jumped when Jesse slammed his hand down on the top of the bar.

"What the hell?" Amy said, pressing a hand to her heart.

"I just remembered something!" Jesse said, climbing off the stool ungracefully (read: falling off the stool). He walked over to Beca, his steps a little uneven, but not too bad considering how many shots he had taken in the last hour.

"What the hell, dude?" Beca muttered, sipping the water that Jim, the bartender, put down in front of her.

"Beca Mitchell," Jesse slurred, grinning at her. "I have a proposition for you that would totally save your ass and mine." She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What's that?" Using the top of the bar and the empty bar stool beside her, he lowered himself to his knees, grabbing one of her hands in his.

"Will you marry me?"

"What?!"

* * *

**Author's Note: So, I did a little research on immigration and such, but I know nothing about this kind of thing, because I was born and raised in the US, and I have never been engaged to someone born outside of the US, so if I royally screwed up all of the green card mumbo-jumbo, I apologize. If I totally messed it up (aka Jesse could have gotten a green card on his own without an engagement), then bare with me, because for the sake of the story, he can't get it on his own, and he has to marry someone to say in the US. If you guys do know anything about immigration and engagements/marriages like Jesse and Beca's, that would be totally awesome, and I would totally appreciate the help! **


	2. Chapter 2

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything familiar.**

**Song Recommendation: **_**U + Ur Hand**_** by Pink**

**Author's Note: This one is told completely from Beca's POV. The next chapter will have some Jesse's POV. I hope that you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, hate, et cetera. (Please, constructive criticism only, not mean comments.)**

* * *

"What?" Beca asked, completely shocked. Was she so drunk that she was imagining a guy that she barely tolerated was on his knees in front of her, clutching one of her hands in his, asking her to marry him? Was he so drunk that he didn't seem aware of what he was doing? "What the fuck? Stand up. You look like a total idiot. And, you're drunk." She muttered, turning back to her water after she yanked her hand from his.

"Beca, I'm being like a thousand percent serious right now." Jesse said, his speech still slurred, as he did his best to stand up without falling over. "Like, I am royally fucked if you don't say yes."

"Um, hi, have you met me? We just had a conversation about how I don't believe in marriage and all that bullshit. You told me the first time that I met you that even though I was one of those a cappella girls and you were one of those a cappella boys and that it was inevitable that we were going to have aca-children together, you would never be able to marry me because I don't like movies."

"Yeah, well, our marriage is a perfect excuse for giving your movications, and I will learn to get over your inability to have fun, because I really need your help here."

"Jesse, you don't like me. I don't like you. This would never work."

"That's the beauty of this! It doesn't have to work." Jesse said, laying a hand on Beca's upper arm. She looked down at it, feeling the warmth of it pressed against her bare skin gave her goose bumps. Goose bumps of discomfort and disgust, of course. Fuck, she wished Bumper was letting her have more alcohol. Speaking of which, she glanced to the side of her, looking at Amy and Bumper for help. They were sharing a bowl full of pretzels, watching like she and Jesse were a fucking movie.

"What do you mean?" She asked him, once she looked back over at him, realizing that they would be no help. He squeezed her upper arm slightly, so that his fingertips pressed into her skin a little.

"I mean that once all the paperwork gets approved and we get married, we only have to stay married for two years."

"Two years?" She shook her head; he was beyond insane if he thought she was going to go through with this and be fucking _married_ to him for two years. "Fuck you." She added, in case her tone and the head shake wasn't enough of a no for him.

"C'mon, Beca. It isn't a real marriage at all. You and I are just gonna be glorified roommates. You just got your fancy new condo, but have no furniture to fill it up, right? Well, I have an entire apartment's worth of furniture in a storage unit from when I moved here from New York. My sublet is up in a few weeks, and I need a new place. I will sleep on the fucking couch for two years if it means that you agree to just sign some freaking papers and pretend to be my wife." Jesse squeezed her upper arm again; his expression was pleading. "You can screw whoever you want; you can do whatever you want. We will be nothing but roommates. Please?"

Beca stared at him, considering. Fuck, the alcohol must really be getting to her if she is actually thinking about accepting his offer. She did need furniture, and if they used his furniture, then it would mean she could actually buy clothing. Plus, she would be doing him a massive favor, because even though she didn't exactly _like_ Jesse (he was annoyingly charming, constantly getting under her skin), but she didn't want to see him miserable and have to move back to wherever the hell he was from. Where was he from again? Canada? It's not even like he was from a cool country like New Zealand or Luxemburg or something. He was from fucking Canada; that is so lame. "How does this work exactly?" She asked. She might as well get all of the details. She turned to look at Amy and Bumper, who were a hell of a lot more sober than Jesse was.

"Well, here is the thing," Amy began. "You guys get married and stay married for at least two years. Once the marriage is seen as non-fraudulent and everything works out for Jesse's green card, you file the paperwork that removes the conditional label on the marriage. It could be as simple as both of you filing the specific form, or they might require an interview to make sure everything is valid."

"What does non-fraudulent mean?" Beca asked, biting her lip.

"The marriage would be seen as non-fraudulent if you fill out all of the correct paperwork. Then, there is the evidence of joint assets, which goes beyond living together; that means a joint bank account, both names on a lease agreement, stuff like that. Then, the obvious one: know each other and be able to prove that you know each other. That means pictures of you two together." Amy bit her lip, looking nervous. "If your marriage is seen as fraudulent, that means immediate deportation for Jesse and jail time and a lot of fines for you, Beca."

"Fuck, no way." Beca shook her head, pulling her arm away from Jesse and crossing them. "I'm not risking jail time. We can't prove to the government that we know each other. It is easy enough to fake a joint bank account, because we can say that we decided to open one right before our wedding, and it is easy enough to get him listed on my mortgage payments, but we know next to nothing about each other. Then, there is the whole problem of having no pictures with each other, except for things like Chloe and Dean's parties and wedding and your parties and wedding. Oh, and HE LIVED IN NEW YORK CITY UNTIL RECENTLY!" She said loudly.

"Hey, we can totally fake all of that." Jesse said, grinning.

"How?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"We had a long distance relationship. There are plenty of pictures of us together at Chloe and Hat's parties, because Chloe was constantly trying to set us up. I don't think there was a single time that I came out here when I didn't somehow wind up sitting next to you at dinner or standing beside you in a photo. As for Amy and Bumper's stuff, you are so much fun to annoy the shit out of, I'm sure there are pictures of us together. Plus, you know as well as I do that there are pictures of us kissing every time that it happened." He grinned at the sour look on her face.

Beca knew that was for sure. They were all over everyone's Facebook pages. Each and every time, they had been drunk. The first time, it was because they were both so completely smashed that she could have been making out with a wall and not even known it—that was the same time that she had wound up puking on his shoes. The second time they had made out was a New Year's Eve party hosted by Bumper and Amy at _Tasmania_ right after they had opened it; they wound up being the only ones in close proximity to each other that were single, so Jesse kissed her. The third and final time they had kissed was when Stacie decided that they should all play spin the bottle at one of Chloe and Dean's parties. Someone always seemed to be taking a picture at those moments, so there was plenty of evidence of her drunken mistakes with Jesse over the years.

"Fine, but we have no pictures of us at each other's apartments or in each other's cities."

"We don't really need any. We could say that we weren't really concerned about documenting the moment when we went to visit each other. Plus, we could totally go around and do some touristy things here in LA, and we can easily hop on a plane for the weekend to do some touristy stuff in New York. Not really in Times' Square, though, because that is always changing depending on the movies or the shows playing, but we can always go to random stores or restaurants and take pictures there; plus, pictures of us on ferry rides or at the Statue of Liberty or something."

"I don't exactly have time to fly to New York for the weekend." Beca pressed a hand to her forehead. Her head was swirling due to the alcohol and the risk of imprisonment. She wasn't in the mood to talk about this anymore.

"I'm just saying that there ways that we can make this work." Jesse said, and she felt like punching him really hard in that moment.

"Look, this is a lot to process right now. I am beyond exhausted and kind of buzzed. I can't make this decision without really thinking over the consequences."

"Okay. You're right. I'm sorry." He made his way back to his stool and put his head down. God, why did he have to make her feel so guilty for saying she needed to think.

"Look, what if you guys said you were together only for a year?" Bumper said casually. Beca glared at him for starting the conversation back up again.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"Look, we have all of those pictures of you guys together over the years, and you could say that you were into each other and kept trying the long distance thing, but it was too hard. So, after Chloe and Hat's engagement party, you could say that you two decided not see other people, but not be officially a couple once Jesse mentioned that he was interested in moving to LA."

"Oh! That could work!" Amy said, clapping her hands. Beca groaned into her water glass, once again wishing it was a very different clear liquid.

"Yeah, so you guys tried it out, knowing that Jesse was looking for jobs here in LA. He has been flying over here a lot over the last year or so, going to interviews and such. That way, you don't have to show any pictures of you both in New York, but you could change clothes a few times and go around to different sites in LA. Plus, who wants to take pictures of themselves in the same places over and over? You could get away with only having a couple of recent photos. Take a couple of day trips to Disney Land or San Diego or San Francisco and get pictures there. Then, Jesse got a job out here, and he moved here. Just take the pictures of you guys moving into Beca's new condo, like 'yay! We are moving in together!'" Beca whimpered, because this was not what she had in mind when she bought her new place.

"What about our families?" She asked. Jesse looked down at her glass of water, a sad expression suddenly falling on his face.

"I was an only child, and my parents died a few years ago in a car accident. There is no one to tell that I am dating anyone, let alone marrying anyone, aside from my friends." She swallowed, feeling bad for bringing it up.

"Beca, when have you ever talked about your love life with anyone in your family?" Amy scoffed.

"That isn't exactly my favorite topic of discussion with any of them."

"So, you don't have to worry about that then." Beca sighed, because she was right. Everyone seemed to have all the reasons for why it was easy to fake this marriage between her and Jesse.

"Look, I am not that much of a cold-hearted bitch that I don't feel bad for Jesse and his situation, but I don't know if I can pull this off. I am not marriage material. I have been saying that for years now, and none of our friends are going to believe me if I say I woke up one day and realized I was totally in love with Jesse." She rolled her eyes. "Not only that, but I love him enough to marry him? That doesn't make sense. We don't even know each other. Sure, we can fake the whole picture thing, but can we really fake knowing each other?"

"Then, we get to know each other."

Beca let her head fall back, groaning. None of them were going to let her say no. She could understand Jesse pressuring her, because he was the one who was going to be sent back to Canada, but why were Amy and Bumper pressuring her. "I hate you all so much right now."

"I know this huge. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be asking you this. I suck." She nodded her head at him.

"Yes, you do, because you are making me feel like such an asshole for not wanting to fucking get married—something I have never wanted to do." She bit her lip and studied Jesse's face. She hated that he was handsome. She hated that he was charming. She hated that he was confident in himself. She hated that he was nice at times. She hated how idealistic he was. She hated how his annoyingness was actually kind of endearing at times. Most of all, she hated how much she didn't always hate him. He wasn't that bad most of the time. They had a strange relationship. He got on her nerves most of the time, but she couldn't bring herself to every really hate him. "If we supposedly dated for a year, what do we tell our friends?" He grinned, jumping from his stool to make his way over to her. He pulled her into a huge hug, pulling her off her stool to spin her around in circles.

"Thank you!" Jesse yelled, letting her down after the third circle. Beca bit her lip and looked away when she realized how close they were.

"Seriously, what do we tell our friends?" She asked, crossing her arms. "Bumper and Amy can keep our secret, but I have said over and over that I'm not interested in you to Chloe, so we can't exactly expect her to not blow this."

"Tell her that you kept it a secret," Amy suggested. "Tell her that you guys finally hit it off at her engagement party, and you decided to keep it a secret, because you didn't want to want to hear her say 'I told you so.' Plus, you felt weird, because you didn't know if it was going to work out, considering how much a commitment phobe you are. I can list on both hands the number of guys I personally know you have humped and dumped." Amy raised both of her hands, fingers spread wide. "Luke from freshman year. He was a sexy ass British mother fucker who was a bigger player than Stacie's vag, but somehow you hooked him and then destroyed him." She wagged her thumb as she spoke. "Bryan that poor transfer student who joined the Trebles our sophomore year; he didn't know what was coming." She said as she moved her index finger. "Charlie from senior year; the captain of the swim team. If there was ever an appropriate time to use the term penetrate, it would be in relation that boy's junk that was hidden in the tiniest banana hammock in the world." She wagged her ring finger, making Beca roll her eyes at the fact that she skipped her middle finger. "Brent, your sexy co-worker at the Atlanta radio station you worked at. He left his wife for you." All the while, moving her pinky finger as she spoke.

"He wasn't married!" Beca spat, crossing her arms to glare at Amy.

"Then, Carl," Amy said, sticking her middle finger up. "Your boss at WR. You're a slut."

"He wasn't that good in the sack." Beca shrugged. She held up her pinky finger. "It should have been this finger for Carl." She joked, and Amy's head fell back in laughter.

"Who should be the middle finger?" She asked, and Beca pretend to ponder. "Charlie," they both said at the same time, giggling. "And that was just the guys for one hand," Amy wheezed, pressing a hand to her chest.

"Um, should we get you checked out for STDs before we get married or…?" Jesse joked, his eyes flashing. Beca flipped him off and stuck her tongue out at Amy.

"Alright, I am tired. Future Hubby, we are taking a taxi to your apartment. We are too drunk to start the move-in process in my new condo, which has two bedrooms, by the way, so you don't have to crash on the couch. Well, tonight you are crashing on the couch at your apartment, because I get the bed." She stood on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Having fun yet?"

"Bunches." Jesse told her, throwing an arm around her shoulders, leading her towards the exit.

"Oh, Ames, here are my car keys. Can you park my car somewhere safe? I have my records and laptop in the trunk. I will get them from you tomorrow." She said, tossing her keys to the blond.

"Sure thing, Flatbutt."

* * *

Beca groaned when she sat up in an unfamiliar bed, pressing a hand to her head. Yeah, she was totally regretting the vodka shots from earlier. She glanced to her right, seeing that it was nearly midnight according to the alarm clock on the ugly beside table. Jesse wasn't kidding when he said the person he was subletting for had the worst taste in interior design. She stood up, rubbing at her face before walking over to the dresser to look at her reflection in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to comb out the tangles. She then rubbed at the smudged makeup beneath her eyes.

Beca felt a little cold, wearing only her black lace camisole over her black thong. Her gray skinny jeans were balled up on the floor by Jesse's bed, along with her bra and flip flops. She didn't feel like putting sweatpants on, so she figured he wouldn't care if she pulled on some of his clothes. She was doing him a massive favor after all. Using the hair elastic on her wrist, she pulled her hair into a messy bun high on her head. Beca then carefully pulled his bottom drawer open, finding only jeans. She pouted, closing the drawer and pulling open the next row, smiling when she found sweatpants and gym shorts. She grabbed a pair of sweatpants and pulled them on, rolling them as much as she could, hoping that they would stay on her hips, but they fell dangerously low on her hips. They were too big. Beca pulled the pants off, folding them and then putting them back where she found them. She tried the gym shorts, and they were equally as huge on her. Either she had to wear her jeans, go around in her underwear (as much fun as it would be to mess with Jesse, she was too cold), or go for his boxers. She opened the top drawer, grinning when she found herself staring at his boxers. Some of them were cheesy (hearts, polka dots, characters), but the rest were either solid or plaid. She grabbed a gray pair, pulling them on, smiling when she discovered that she only had to roll them once to keep them on her hips.

Beca closed the door and walked over to his closet, opening it to find where he kept his flannel shirts, button ups, and his dress shirts. She grabbed a gray and black plaid flannel shirt, pulling it on and only buttoning it halfway. She walked over to his en suite bathroom to pee, wash her face, find some Tylenol, and brush her teeth with her finger, chasing it with a mouthful of mouthwash. When she was done in the bathroom, she left it and walked through his bedroom, opening the door quietly.

Beca snuck down the hallway, popping her head around the corner to see that Jesse was awake and standing in his kitchenette, making coffee. She could kiss him right now, because she needed coffee, and she wasn't actually a coffee person. She walked into the room. "May I get some of that?" She asked him, suppressing a smile when he jumped. Without turning around, he reached into one of his cabinets to grab a second mug.

"Sugar or…shit." He stopped dead when he turned around, eyebrows raised at her dressed in his clothing. She rolled her eyes and walked over to jump onto the counter near where he was preparing the coffee. She tried to ignore the way his eyes followed her.

"Cream, please. Do you have any hot chocolate mix?" Jesse finally snapped back to reality, tearing his gaze from her bare legs.

"Um, yeah," he said, pointing to the cabinet above her. "Um, it's in there." Beca spread her legs a little, trying to hide her amusement at his discomfort. He shook his head, walking between her legs. "Lean over," he muttered, reaching up to open the cabinet when she moved slightly to the side. He leaned into her personal space, taking a lot longer than necessary to grab the hot chocolate mix. His balanced his weight on the free hand that he placed on the counter right beside her thigh, his thumb pressed against her skin.

Beca tried to keep her breathing even, because Jesse was playing just as dirty as she was. She cocked an eyebrow at him when he finally leaned back, taking only one small step back, shutting the cabinet. He held the canister out to her, smirking at her, and she returned it, taking it from his hands. "Thanks." The coffee maker beeped, indicating that the coffee was done, but he didn't move towards the machine. Using the edge of the counter, she pushed herself off, ignoring the way her heart pounded when her body slid down his. She kept telling herself that her boldness was residual from the alcohol earlier in the afternoon.

Beca pushed past Jesse and walked over to where the coffee mugs were. Using a spoon that was sitting in the drying wrack by his sink, she scooped a couple of spoonfuls of the hot chocolate mix into the bottom of one of the coffee mugs. She poured coffee into both mugs, returning the pot to its holder. She felt him brush by her as he walked over to the fridge to pull out the cream. She mixed the hot chocolate into the coffee, using it as a replacement for sugar.

Beca tried to ignore the feel of Jesse's body when he came up behind her, boxing her in so that he could pour some cream into both of their mugs. He stepped back, returning the cream to the fridge. While he was busy, she made her way over to the small table and chairs that he had set up a few feet away. She dropped into an uncomfortable chair, blowing on her drink before taking a small sip. "I can't believe you put hot chocolate mix into my amazing coffee." He said as he sat down beside her, watching her.

"I hate hot coffee. The only way that I can drink it is if I add hot chocolate mix to it." She returned his gaze. "Don't knock it until you try it, Swanson." He shrugged, putting down his mug down on the table and holding his hand out towards hers. "No way."

"Hey, you said I should try it," Jesse said, grinning. He leaned forward, sliding his hand over hers. "Let me try it." Beca narrowed her eyes at him before holding the mug toward him in one hand—the hand that was still under his. Using his hold on her hand, he tilted the mug to take a sip of her hot chocolate-coffee hybrid, his eyes never leaving hers. "Not bad," he said when finished swallowing. He slowly pulled his hand from hers, allowing his fingertips to stroked across her skin. Oh, he was good at this game.

"See? I know what I'm talking about." Beca needed to up her game now. She spied his laptop on his end table. "May I?" She asked as she walked over to it. Jesse shrugged, so she opened it and loaded up the internet. She smiled when she saw that he had Spotify. She opened it and rolled her eyes at his playlists relating to musicals like _Les Mis_. Nerd. She typed in the search engine the song she was looking for. She could practically feel his eyes boring holes in her butt as she bent over his computer screen.

"What are you playing?" He asked her.

"You'll see." Beca glanced over her shoulder and smiled as the music started. Jesse cocked an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. She sipped her drink, swaying her hips to the beat. When the chorus began, she began to sing along.

"_I'm not here for your entertainment  
You don't really wanna mess with me tonight  
Just stop and take a second  
I was fine before you walked into my life  
Cause you know it's over  
Before it began  
Keep your drink, just gimme the money  
It's just you and your hand tonight_."

She continued to dance along with the music, swaying her hips in a way that she was sure was seductive, sipping her coffee with her eyes locked on his. Every time the chorus came on, she sang along, smirking as she sang 'it's just you and your hand tonight.' When the song ended, a new Pink song started. He stood up and walked over to her. He took the mug from her hands, setting both his and hers down on the end table beside his laptop.

"That's not what I meant." Jesse said quietly, taking a step forward so that he was crowding her. "What kind of _game_ are you playing here?" He leaned over to let his lips graze her ear. "If you are smart, you'd stop now."

Beca pulled away from him to look him in the eye. "No games." She said quietly. "I'm bored." She smiled at him, stepping back. She grabbed her mug of coffee from where he put it. She held up one hand, using her thumb and index finger to indicate a small amount. "And the tiniest bit still drunk." She looks away from him, hoping that he doesn't see that she is lying. She walked over to his couch and sat down, drinking a couple of big gulps of her coffee.

"I know how I can entertain you." Jesse walked over to his bookshelf filled with DVD cases. Beca groaned, her head falling back onto the couch.

"No!" She pouted when he pulled a case from the shelf and put it in the DVD player.

"I wanna watch you watch all the way to the end of this movie." He held up the empty DVD case to her. It was entitled _The Breakfast Club_. "Then, I can die a hero." He grinned at her like a child grins at someone who they drew a picture for that is nothing more than a bunch of squiggly lines, waiting for you to respond happily and praise it. She wasn't going to praise it, so she just continued to pout.

"Yeah, you're definitely dying tonight." She muttered as he made his way over to his laptop to turn off the music and to grab his own coffee. Once he sat down on the couch, he handed his mug to her, reaching behind them to grab the throw blanket off the back of the couch. He draped it across their laps and then leaned forward to grab the DVD remote off of the coffee table. After he hit play, he carefully pulled her flush against his side in order to prevent her from spilling their coffees. With one arm draped along the back of the couch above her, he grabbed his coffee from her hands.

Beca had to confess that watching a movie with Jesse was actually kind of fun (Shh! Don't tell him that!), because she spent most of it watching him rather than the movie. He would murmur the lines along with the characters, sing along with the songs playing in the background, tell her random facts about the actors and the director and this person and that person. As it got closer to the ending of the movie, he talked about how this song launched the Simple Mind's success in the US, how stupid Billy Idol was for giving it up, and finally how the song matched the ending of the movie so perfectly, because it was so sad and beautiful. Jesse's fun facts were completely ridiculous and made Beca want to punch him in the face a little. She missed having the mug to play with her hands, but she had finished her drink long ago and set it down on the end table beside his. She really tried to hold back the laugh when she saw him make a fist with Bender. He turned to face her, catching her staring at him.

"You're missing the ending," Jesse said quietly, and she widened her eyes and apologized sarcastically. Beca turned to face the television screen again, but she could feel his eyes on her face. She glanced back over at him, ready to say another sarcastic comment, and it was then that she realized just how close they are sitting next to each other. His face was barely inches from hers, and she could feel his breath mingling with hers, which smells faintly like coffee and tequila. It was a strange combination, but not entirely unpleasant.

Beca tried to not let her discomfort at their closeness show on her face. Jesse's eyes drifted from hers to her lips, and she took a careful breath in, trying to hide how flustered she was. She followed a similar pathway on his face. Shit, he had nice lips. She quickly tore her gaze from his mouth, choosing to focus on his eyes once again. For some reason, she was physically incapable of turning away from him, which would be so much easier. Shit, he caught her looking at his mouth. She took in the slight upward curl of his lips at their corners; he was obviously trying to keep a smile from his face. Jesse's face moved towards her, and her mind was screaming at her body to move. Shit! She didn't mean towards him!

Beca knew that the moment Jesse's lips would touch hers would make things get beyond screwed up and complicated. She wouldn't be able to blame it on alcohol this time. It had been about twelve hours since they had gotten back to his apartment, and they both crashed immediately. Kissing him would make things awkward and complicated and so fucking confusing. This wasn't a real marriage; it was a marriage about helping him stay in the country and her being able to furnish her new home for two years; then, they were going to find some reason to get divorced. The reminder that all of this is fake, that she didn't do real relationships or marriage or anything more than flings, helped wake her up to what was moments from happening. She pulled away from him, jumping up off the couch to put some distance between them before they crossed a line that they shouldn't be crossing. She tried to remain calm when she turned to face him.

"Jesse," Beca began, but he held up his hand, nodding his head.

"I know. Shouldn't have happened," Jesse said, standing up. He grabbed the mugs and started to walk over to the sink. When he placed them there, he walked in the direction of his room, not looking at her. "I'm gonna go shower and change." He disappeared before she even had a chance to respond. Fuck, things were already strained between them, and they hadn't even kissed.

Beca picked up the landline, dialing her boss's work number. When the answering machine picked up, she left a quick message about waking up feeling ill and being unable to make it into work that day. She needed to spend today buying new clothing, checking out the furniture that Jesse had stored, talk to the police to see if they had found any of her stuff, make lists of what she needed to purchase—there was just so much to do. Using Jesse's computer, she signed into her bank account, seeing how much she had in her checking account and transferring some of the little bit of money she had left in her savings in order to buy new clothing. She opened a blank word document to begin typing up a list of clothing that she needed to buy.

"What are you doing?" Jesse asked as he made his way back into the living room, catching Beca on his computer.

"Checking out your internet history. So many porn sites, so little time." She responded, not looking up from where she was typing. She felt the couch dip beside her when he sat down, looking over her shoulder at the blank document.

"Bras, panties, socks, camisoles, tank tops…" He muttered as he read her list. "What's this?"

"All of my stuff was stolen," she said, finally looking up. She took in the fact that he was wearing the same pair of sweatpants she attempted to wear earlier and a black t-shirt. His hair was damp and sticking up in random directions, and he smelled like soap. "The only possessions left to my name are the pair of jeans, the flip flops, and the bra currently residing on your bedroom floor, the two articles of clothing of mine that I am wearing under yours, my cell phone, my car, and what's in my car."

"Shit, seriously? I mean, I know that you said that the moving truck was stolen, but I guess I didn't really think about what all that meant."

"Yeah, I have one bra, one thong, one camisole, one pair of jeans, one pair of flip flops, one hair tie, and one car in which I have three boxes of records and my laptop and mixing equipment stored in the trunk. Oh, and thankfully my wallet and cell phone that are in said jeans."

"Well, I have some money in savings, so if you need—" She shook her head, cutting him off.

"No way, Swanson," she told him. "I'm not taking your money."

"Well, Beca, you need clothing to wear. If this was a real marriage—scratch that, even thought it isn't a real marriage—I would totally be for you walking around naked all of the time, and if you did have to wear clothing, mine, but that isn't possible so…you need clothes." The serious expression on his face made her laugh.

"Oh, good, that was something I wanted to talk to you about. I am a firm believer in walking around my house naked all the time, so I am glad to hear you wouldn't be opposed to that." She said as seriously as she could.

"Nope, totally not." He smirked.

"So, you wouldn't mind if I started now?" She moved the laptop to the couch cushion beside her and stood up, quickly undoing the buttons of his flannel shirt and sliding it off her shoulders. She dropped it into his lap and then proceeded to slide his boxer shorts down. She stepped out of them and grinned when she saw him gulp.

"Beca…" Jesse muttered when he saw her skim her fingers along the hem of her shirt, inching it up slightly so that skin of her stomach was revealed. Beca grinned when she saw him squeeze his hands into fists. "You still bored?" She was surprised to see that his voice had deepened by an octave, and his eyes were combing up and down her form. Okay, so maybe she took it a little far.

"Alright, I'm done." She bending over to pull his boxers back onto her hips. She heard his sigh of relief (disappointment?).

"You're mean," he told her as he held the flannel shirt out to her. "I'm giving you money, because I don't think I can handle this anymore." He waved his hand at her, making her smirk. "Besides, I have money from my parents' life insurance, the sale of their house, et cetera. As the only child, I was their sole beneficiary."

"I'm not taking your inheritance, Jesse."

"Look, you are gonna have every right to it after we get married anyways."

"No, I don't. Look, we both keep our separate bank accounts and then open a joint savings account. Then, we each take a small portion of our paychecks and put it in the joint account. We can say that is our rainy day account—a pipe bursts, a fire. Plus, we can say that is the account we will use when we go on vacations, all that coupley stuff. We keep our separate accounts otherwise, and I am going to be honest in that interview when I say that it is for the event that we divorce, I want to have money saved up. Aubrey's a lawyer. We can have her write our prenup that says you keep your inheritance and I get the house in the event that we divorce. Then, whatever money we have in the joint account, we will divide evenly."

"Becs," Jesse said as he grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers. "Thank you for all of this."

"It's no big deal." Beca bit her lip. She squeezed his hand when he tried to pull his away from hers. She picked up the landline where she had left it on the coffee table. His brow furrowed when he saw her begin to dial on it. She pressed it against her ear, chewing on her bottom lip. The person on the other line picked up, and she took a deep breath. "Dad, hi."

"Beca, this is early for you. It's nearly seven here, which means it is about four there?"

"Yeah, something like that. Listen; there is something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh, god. Are you pregnant?" Beca's jaw dropped open.

"No! Are you kidding me?! Do I look like the type to get knocked up?" She glared at Jesse who was silently chuckling beside her, digging her nails into the back of his hand.

"Good. I would really hate to have to tell people that my daughter got pregnant out of wedlock. Speaking of pregnancies, did you know Mia's pregnant? About four months."

"No, Dad, I wasn't aware that Mia was pregnant. Pass along my well wishes to my beloved step-sister and the dick that she's married to."

"Beca! Don't talk about Mia like that! She's a sweetheart; I just don't understand why you have to say such horrible things about her and Tom. They are such good people." Her dad went on and on about how horrible she was in comparison to her bubbly, pretty blond younger step-sister and her perfect husband. Okay, so maybe her dad didn't say she was horrible, but he definitely implied that he thought the moon was hung by Mia and Tom.

"Dad, I honestly don't give a shit about Mia, her husband, or their spawn. Can we please focus on the reason why I am calling you?" Beca tried to release Jesse's hand, wanting to put up the walls, because there are reasons why she had trust issues, but he wouldn't let her hand go. She could feel him staring at her, rubbing the back of her thumb with his.

"What is it now? Did you get fired? I told you that it isn't a stable position. You should have majored in business or something like I told you to."

"No, Dad! I am really good at my job. I didn't get fired. Fuck, can you just stop berating me for five fucking seconds and let me talk? I was just calling to let you know that I am fucking engaged, but I don't know why I even bother." She spat into the phone, not even realizing she was gripping Jesse's hand like a vice until grunted and let out a deep breath. "Sorry," she said, easing her hold on his hand.

"_You're engaged_?" Her dad gasped. "_You_?"

"Yes, I am getting married."

"I didn't even know you were dating anyone."

"Yeah, well, have we ever talked about my romantic life ever? No, we talk about how happy you are with Sheila, the reason for your abandonment of me and Mom. We talk about how spectacularly happy Mia is with Tom. You have never once asked me about my relationships."

"Do you even have relationships?"

"Wow, Dad, thanks for making me feel like a huge slut." She hung up the phone, slamming it on the coffee table. "God, he is such a fucking asshole! Did you know that he forced me to go to Barden? I wanted move here immediately after high school, but he made me go to Barden, because he taught there. He talked to all of my professors, finding out whether I was going to classes, if I was failing, et cetera. He threw his relationship with Sheila in my face over and over. Fuck, I hate him!"

Beca felt the tears burn in her eyes, and she pressed a hand over them, as if that would keep them from slipping down her cheeks. She didn't cry in front of people. She sure as hell didn't want to cry in front of Jesse. "Beca," he pulled her against her chest, wrapping his arms around her. She clamped her eyes shut, gripping his shirt in both fists. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.

"I'm sorry!" She pulled away from him to look him in the face. "I just went on and on about how awful my father is in front of you, but you don't even have your dad anymore, and I am being such a bitch."

"My dad was great, Beca. I miss him every day, because he was such a good person, and he loved my mom a lot, but you're dad is a dick. I'm sorry that you're hurting because your dad is a dick. It hurts me to see you upset, not because it reminds me that I don't have a dad." He raised one hand to lay it on her cheek. He leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "So, you told your dad that we're getting married…" He said when he pulled back, looking into her eyes.

"Yeah, well, he and Sheila are loaded, so I was hoping that he would pay for it." She muttered, and he chuckled, pulling her back against his chest.

"Let's just forget all about that shit for awhile and take a nap. I'm exhausted." She nodded her head.

Jesse readjusted himself so that he was leaning back, with his legs tucked onto the couch beside him. Beca settled into his side, closing her eyes. He laid the blanket over their laps. This had been possibly the strangest day of her life, and it wasn't even over yet. They both had so much to figure out, but she was too tired to even think straight anymore. Maybe a nap would help make everything clearer.


	3. Chapter 3

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: Correction to the last two chapters: Chloe and Hat got engaged when they were together for 3.5 years; the spin the bottle incident came before the New Year's incident. Bumper and Amy wouldn't have opened up the restaurant together after only being together for about a year, but closer to two years together would make more sense. Sorry! **

* * *

After work later that day, Jesse parked in the driveway of Beca's (soon to be their) condo. She had texted him that she was there painting, so he decided to come by to help her. After she had checked his furniture out, she had admitted that he had nice taste, but now the condo had to be repainted to match his furniture. So, she went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of paint, paintbrushes—the whole shebang to paint the condo. Using the second key that she had made for him and left under a rock near the front steps, he entered the house and walked inside the door, glancing around to see which room she was in. She wasn't on the first floor, so he figured that she was either painting her bedroom (the master bedroom, of course) or the guest room (read: his room).

After dropping off his stuff by the door and relocking it, Jesse walked up the steps, expecting to hear music coming from whichever room she was working on, but instead he heard the distinct sounds of a telephone conversation—one that was on speaker. He walked down the hall to stand in the doorway of her bedroom. Beca was dressed in a pair of skin-tight shorts that were essentially glorified underwear and a sports bra, with her hair in a messy bun. Fuck, her body was phenomenal. He kind of hated her for it, because she seemed to take pleasure in wearing revealing clothing (or his clothing) that would make his pulse race, which _sucked_ since she was crashing at his apartment until the condo was ready. He had no way to _escape_ her other than to leave _his_ apartment. He assumed that this meant she went shopping for at least a few outfits for the next few days until she could spend an entire day getting all of the clothing she needed to replace what was lost. Her feet were bare, and there were paint droplets on her feet, legs, and arms, and likely her stomach and the front of her clothing, but he was only seeing her from behind.

"I just can't believe it, Beca." A female voice came through the phone. "Have I not taught you anything?"

"Mom, I didn't tell you just to hear you tell me how wrong I am to do it." Beca responded as she dipped the paint roller into the tin of green paint on the floor beside her. She began pushing it against the wall, giving it a second coat of paint. "I told you, because it what normal people do. They tell their family members when they are getting married."

"Beca, think about this for a second. Do you really want to marry this guy? Do you know anything about him? You never even mentioned to me that you were dating someone, let alone in a relationship." Beca's mom said, her voice echoing through the room.

"Jesse and I have known each other for three years, Mom." Beca responded, dipping more paint to work on the next bare section. "I never told you that I was seeing him, because I knew you would react like this. Do you remember what you told me when I was fifteen and told you that a boy asked me to be his girlfriend?" No sound came from the phone, so she continued talking. "Normal mothers would say, 'that is great, sweetie; tell me about him,' or they would say 'aren't you a little young for a boyfriend?' _You_ told me that having a boyfriend is overrated, that it leads to nothing but heartache, and after your marriage to Dad, you finally realized that the only thing that guys seem to care about is sex. You then proceeded to tell me that it is time that I take ownership of my body, told me that you would put me on birth control, and then said I should take a page out of the male handbook and use them solely for sex."

Jesse's eyebrows rose, because everything about Beca suddenly made sense. Her dad was a royal dick, cheating on her mom and leaving both of them for Sheila, the step-mother. Not only that, but he seemed to constantly compare her to her younger stepsister, who he seemed to think represented what the perfect daughter looked like. Beca's mom, on the other hand, turned her against relationships and romance, because she was hurting over her broken marriage and the betrayal of her husband.

"Sweetie, I was just telling you that to warn you."

"But, Mom, I was fifteen. I didn't need to be warned. He was the son of a minister who vowed that he wouldn't be losing his virginity before he got married. I think my heart was going to be safe with him. Besides, I wasn't looking to get married at fifteen. I just wanted to have a fucking boyfriend. I turned him down, because you told me that I should do that." Beca snapped, pressing hard on the wall with the paint roller. Jesse figured that he should probably make his presence known soon.

"Beca, isn't he the boy that got that girl pregnant your junior year?"

"That is beside the point!"

"Um, actually, I think that confirms by point." Beca groaned.

"Mom, I was so heartbroken over turning him down and seeing him with another girl that I was stupid. I got drunk and lost my virginity to a guy at a party. I don't even know his fucking name. Just because you told me guys want nothing more than sex from girls, and that that is how I should live my life."

"Well, honey, I'm sorry that you hate me so much for telling you not to be in a relationship."

"I don't hate you, Mom! I am just trying to explain to you why I haven't talked to you about people I have sex with or go on a date with or anything like that since I was fifteen."

"So, you are really going to go through it? You are going to get _married_? Fine, you love this guy. Fine, you want to share your life with him, but do you have to marry him? Do you have to tie yourself to him? What if he stomps all over your heart? What if he leaves you for a younger woman? What if he gets you pregnant and then decides that he wants another man's wife and daughter?"

"Jesse isn't Dad, Mom." Beca whispered. Jesse watched her deflate, dropping the paint roller on the tarp that she had lying on the floor to protect it from wet paint. It made a strange sound when it hit the floor.

"What was that?"

"I dropped the paint brush."

"Oh, why are you painting? Didn't the apartment actually come painted close enough to match your furniture when you got it?"

"It is a condo, Mom. And, I am repainting it, because my stuff got stolen, and Jesse is moving in."

"Oh, you can't be serious, Beca."

"Mom, we are getting married! Generally, married couples live in the same house."

"Do you really want to get married, Beca?" Jesse decided it was definitely time to make his presence known. He snuck back down the hallway and halfway down the steps.

"Hey, Becs, where you at?" He called up the steps as he made a little more noise as walked back up.

"In my—the bedroom!" He heard her call back to him. He walked down the hallway, seeing her pressing her phone against her ear as she smoothed a lock of hair from her eyes. "Mom, I gotta go. Jesse's here. He is going to help me paint." She was quiet for a few moments, and she turned away, not wanting to look at him. "No, Mom, I don't need or expect you to pay for the wedding. Dad and Sheila called me this morning to tell me that they will pay for my wedding, because they want to actually see if I go through with it."

Jesse frowned, really wanting to punch Beca's father in the face. He entered the bedroom, pulling off his sweater, dropping it on the floor beside her laptop in the center of the room, kicking off his shoes and socks as well. He undid his belt and pulled his jeans off, leaving himself in his boxers and a white t-shirt. He walked over to where she had dropped the paint roller. He picked it up and began painting the wall, listening to the one-sided conversation between Beca and her mom.

"Mom, stop. I'm marrying him. I'm letting Dad and Sheila pay for the wedding, because I don't want to have to. If they want to have some big, bullshit party and pay a ridiculous amount of money for it, then that is on them. I would be fine with going to the city hall, having a judge officiate, and be done with it." Beca paused, and Jesse glanced over at her, taking her sour expression in. "Jesse doesn't…his parents…well, they passed away, so they don't have anything to say about us getting married, but I'm sure that they would be happy for us, support us, welcome me into their family with open arms—you know, act the way that parents are supposed to act when their kid gets married. Look, I gotta go. I'm hungry, and my fiancé is currently painting a wall half-naked, which is a hell of a lot more fun than having this conversation with you." Beca hung up her phone, putting it down near their stuff.

"Watching me paint in my boxers is fun for you?" Jesse said, trying to lighten the mood. She ignored him, just putting music on and walking over to grab a paintbrush, painting tape, and a canister of cream pain to paint the borders with. She put it all down by one of the walls that he assumed had already had its second coat of paint. "Becs, c'mere." He put down the paint roller and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. "For what it's worth, my parents would have loved you."

"Tattoos and all?"

"My mom had three tattoos; my dad had five." Jesse told her seriously, chuckling at her shocked expression. "I know…I was too much a wimp to deal with the pain that comes with it, which is why I have all of this virgin skin ready to be corrupted." He joked, waving his hand up and down his body. He grinned when he saw the corners of lips quiver.

"Tell me about them, especially those tattoos."

"Well, my dad was in the military when he was younger, before he met my mom. They met in college after he got out. She was about six years younger than him. He had a couple of military tats, like his unit number and stuff. Her parents weren't too pleased when she began dating him, because he was so much older, but they were in love. When they got married just after they graduated from college, they got their wedding bands tattooed on their left hands. My mom told me that it was his idea, because he said that it was the one piece of jewelry he never wanted her to take off." Jesse smiled as he thought about his parents, and he didn't try to hide the tears that filled his eyes as he talked about them with Beca. "That was my mom's first tattoo, dad's third."

"That's sweet." Beca whispered, making him smile wider.

"Yeah, they really loved each other. It took them a long time to get pregnant with me; my mom had some fertility issues, I don't know the exact details, but she was in her mid-thirties by the time she had me. They were so excited to have me, and they weren't sure if they would be able to have another kid, so they decided to commemorate my birth and all those years of trying, so they got tattoos of my name and my birth date. When I was fifteen, my mom found out that she had breast cancer. After the doctor announced that she was cancer-free, she decided to get a tattoo of a pink ribbon on her forearm as a reminder of her struggle with beating cancer."

Jesse looked down at Beca when he felt her fingers swipe at his cheek. He didn't realize that he had legitimately started crying. "They sound like amazing people. I wish that I could have met them." She bit her lip, hesitating, and he figured that she wanted to ask about their deaths.

"It was four years ago." He said quietly, his eyes never leaving hers. "It was their anniversary. They were driving home from dinner, and a drunk driver ran a red light at a busy intersection, hitting their car and slamming into them on the passenger side, killing my mom on impact. The force of the accident pushed them into on-coming traffic, and a car crashed into the front of my parents' car. My dad died on the way to the hospital."

Beca wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Jesse." Jesse wrapped his arms around her waist, holding on to her, burying his face into her neck. He allowed himself to breathe in her smell, only slightly surprised by how comforting it is to have her arms wrapped around him and his arms wrapped around her.

"I'm just happy that I got to spend as much time as I did with them. I miss them." He paused, pulling away from her. "My mom would have gone on and on about how gorgeous and awesome you are, and my dad would probably pull you aside and ask you what is wrong with you for wanting to marry me."

"Would you…would you have told them that this marriage is fake?" She asked him, not looking into his eyes. He could see the guilt on her face. Even though Beca didn't get along with her parents in the way that a daughter should, he could tell she felt guilty about lying to them. She felt even guiltier about lying to their friends, who were more of her family than her own family was, and he felt the same way. He wished that he was marrying someone that he was in love with and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He always thought that Beca was pretty and had they hit it off all those years before when Chloe had introduced them, he could have totally seen himself marrying Beca, but they barely tolerated each other, despite their weird sexual attraction that put them in uncomfortable situations.

"I don't know. My parents held the belief that you get married once. They thought that people should fight hard to stay together, because marriage is the ultimate sign of love between two people. They know that sometimes things don't work, but they always told me that I should go into marriage with the idea that this person is my soul mate—the person I intend to spend the rest of my life with. I don't know if I would have been able to lie to them about our relationship, but I am not sure if could have told them the truth either."

"I wish that my parents had taught me the same thing when I was younger. I wish that even if my dad cheated and left my mom and me for Sheila and her daughter that my mom had turned around and said that I shouldn't let what happened with them influence my view of relationships." She shrugged. "Whatever, right? I mean, I'm the perfect girl for you to have a sham marriage with." She moved away from him, crouching to paint the border on the wall that she had finished earlier in the day. He watched her for a few moments before returning to painting the wall.

* * *

By eight, they were done her bedroom—two rooms out of five that they needed to repaint (he discovered that she had painted his room to match his furniture earlier in the day, which was actually pretty nice of her; she played it off as though it was because his room was smaller and easier to paint on her own). "I have an idea for dinner." Jesse said after they cleaned themselves up, got redressed, and made their way out of the house, locking up behind them.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, follow me to the grocery store." Beca's brow furrowed, but she shrugged. The last couple of nights they had been getting takeout, but tonight he felt like cooking. He climbed into his car, pulling out of the driveway, parking along the road in front of their house while she backed out of the driveway.

When they parked at the grocery store, he waited for her to climb out of her car. He grabbed her hand, pretending that he was trying to act like a couple with her, ignoring the way that his heart seemed to beat a little faster at the fact that her hand was in his. They walked inside of the grocery store, with him grabbing a basket on the way in. He brought her to the produce section. "Um? Veggies for dinner?" She joked when he stopped in front of the display to look at her.

"No, we are making homemade pizzas instead of ordering them. Pick your toppings, Mitchell." Jesse turned and grabbed a small bag of packaged spinach leaves, tossing it into the bag. He felt Beca's eyes on him, watching him as he grabbed a couple of tomatoes, squeezing them slightly in his hands before adding them to bag when he determined that they were ripe. "Want any tomatoes?" She shook her head.

"I hate tomatoes, but I like tomato sauces and salsas." He looked over at her. "Just so you know for the interview."

"You think that Danielson will ask me how my wife likes to eat tomatoes."

"No, not that specifically, but Amy said we need to know each other, so this is something you should know about me."

"You only drink coffee with hot chocolate mix added to it and only eat tomatoes in sauces and salsas. Got it." He grinned, turning back to the produce.

"I like peppers." She told him, walking over to grab a green and yellow pepper. "I like peppers on my pizza." He smiled at her again, liking that she was opening up to him without him having to accidentally witness something, as he had before with the conversations with her parents.

They walked around the store, collecting the various ingredients that they wanted to include in their homemade pizzas. Their last stop, after picking up the tubes of pizza dough, was dessert. "What kind of dessert do you want?"

"Ice cream sundaes." She told him, grabbing him by his free arm to pull him down the ice cream aisle. "What is your favorite kind of ice cream sundae?"

Jesse took a moment to think about it. "Um, vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, sprinkles, pretzels, gummy bears, and Reese's pieces." Beca walked over to one of the displays, opening it to grab a pint of vanilla ice cream. She grabbed two pints for herself: one coffee and one mint chocolate chip. "Two pints for you?" She smiled, nodding her head.

"Another strange food preference of mine. My favorite ice cream sundae to make is half-coffee ice cream, half-mint chocolate chip, with caramel sauce, Nerds, and chunks of strawberries and pineapple."

"Seriously?" He looked at her like she was crazy, because there were so many strange flavors going on in that sundae. He didn't think that they went together. She blushed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, I know it seems weird, but it tastes really good." He liked learning some of her odd quirks. So far, they really only had to do with her food preferences, but it was a start.

"Are you going to let me try it?" She shrugged.

"Maybe." They went about collecting their ingredients for their sundaes. Jesse's arms were aching by the time they got to the checkout, because the basket was overloaded with their ingredients. "Let me buy." She complained when he pulled out his credit card from his wallet.

"Becs, we are getting married. It is going to be almost as if you are paying for it soon enough." He rolled his eyes.

"You two are engaged? Congratulations! When's the wedding? Can I see the ring?" The teenage girl behind the register gushed as she rang up their ingredients.

"Um, yeah, it is pretty recent. We haven't really figured out the wedding plans yet," Beca said quickly, blushing and glaring slightly at Jesse.

"Shit! I just realized I never gave you a ring." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm such an asshole."

"Well, why don't you put a quarter into that vending machine over there and get me a plastic one if you are so worried about it?" It was his turn to glare at her. Even if this wedding was a joke, he wasn't going to give her a plastic ring.

"Well, that could be nice, picking out the ring together," the checkout girl said quickly, obviously regretting asking them questions.

"Yeah, I have to make sure that you don't pick out something shitty." Beca said, laying a hand on his arm, winking.

"Please!" Jesse scoffed. "I bet that I could pick out a really killer ring for you—one that would be way more _you_ than any ring you would pick out for yourself."

"You're on." She said. "On Saturday, you and I will go to the mall. You can chill in the food court, and I will go into one of the jewelry stores and pick out my own ring. Then, you go into the store and pick out a ring while I go shopping for some sexy lingerie for the wedding night." She smirked suggestively, making his heart pound. "Then, we both go in and show each other what we picked out."

"This is going to be fun." He told her, grinning. He needed to find the perfect ring; he was going to win this bet. "What are the stakes?"

"Excuse me?"

"If I lose, what do you get?" He asked as he signed the receipt and grabbed two of the bags, leaving her to grab the third. They walked in the direction of their cars, putting them away before facing each other. "Seriously, if I pick a ring that you hate or don't think is you in anyway, what do you get?"

"A move-free month. No forced movie watching. You can hide away in your room, watch all the movies you want, but you can't make me watch them. You can't quote movies to me. You can't make constant movie references. An entire month of nothing that has to do with movies."

"What if it has to do with my work?"

"The one exception." He grinned.

"I agree to this stipulation, no matter how much it pains me. What if I win…what should I get…?" He took a few moments to ponder what he wanted from her. "You have to be my slave for one month."

"Dude, no! That is way worse than mine!"

"That is what I want."

"What does this slave thing entail?"

"You have to do everything I ask you to do. Of course, if there is something that really makes you uncomfortable, then you can say no, but you can't say it for every little thing." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "That means I might ask you to wash my car, clean the bathroom, make me dinner, sing for me, spend an entire Saturday watching movies and letting me poke you every time you start to fall asleep, you know that kind of stuff, you have to do it."

"What things count as the things that I can say no to?"

"Well, I don't plan on telling you to kill anyone or anything like that if that is what you are worried about."

"No sex." She told him, holding her hand out.

Jesse stared at her. Did Beca really think that he was going to make her have sex with him if he were to win their bet? He wasn't that kind of person. If they ever had sex, it would be because she wanted it completely. He shook his head, looking away from her. "Do you really think that I would force you to have sex with me?"

"I was kidding, Jess. You are a good person. If there is one thing I know about you, it is that you are respectful. How many times did I mess with you last night and this morning, and you didn't lay a hand on me once. You're a good guy." Beca stepped close to him, laying a hand over Jesse's heart. He looked down at it before looking back into her eyes. "You have a good heart." He smiled at her, because today was turning out to be a pretty awesome day; he could see the two of them becoming friends, unlike before when they were usually at each other's throats.

"Thanks," he said, laying his hand over hers. "We should probably get home—the ice cream." She nodded her head and they separated. As he was driving, he couldn't help but feel weird about how it felt almost _natural_ to say 'home' as in the place that they shared, _together_.

* * *

When they got back to his apartment, Jesse took control of the dinner making process. As Beca put away the ice cream and cold ingredients, he pulled off his sweater again and then washed his hands. He pulled out two cookie sheets from his cabinets and placed them onto the island. He then turned on the oven, letting it warm up. "Alright, after you wash your hands, you wanna get your dough ready, because this part is messy." She washed her hands as he grabbed the olive oil and the two tubes of dough. He peeled off part of the paper on both of them to make it easier for them. He poured a nice amount of oil on both cookie sheets. Then, he began to rub the oil across the sheet, and she followed suit.

"You know I have the perfect dirty joke in my head right now about what this oil feels like." She said, making him chuckle as he finished rubbing the oil all over the sheet.

"Ready to spread your dough?" He said suggestively, and it was her turn to laugh. He opened the tube of dough completely, unrolling it on the pan. She followed him, squealing at the feel of the cold dough beneath her fingers. He liked seeing her like this, almost child-like, having fun. "You're like a kid right now. How old are you again?" He asked her as they worked the dough with their fingers until they both had the dough positioned the way they wanted.

"Three," she said sarcastically, making him grin. When he was done, he walked over to the sink and began washing the oil from his hands. She bumped his hip with hers, getting him to move over so that they were fighting over the soap and water. Finally, he grabbed her hands in his and began washing all four of their hands at once, making her roll her eyes. When they were done washing their hands, they dried them off.

"Now, we put the dough in the oven to cook a little. This will make sure that it is cooked fully throughout. While they cook a little, we can cut the veggies some." Jesse told her as he started grabbing their vegetables and washing them while she put the two cookie sheets in the oven.

"This seems like a lot of work. Why couldn't we just order a pizza again?"

"Cause its fun, Beca."

"Not really." She muttered as he handed her a cutting board and knife. "You sure you wanna give me a knife?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Depends. Are you going to stab me?"

"I'm considering it." He pouted, making her laugh. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'm feeling the love, Almost Wifey." She crinkled her nose, shaking her head. Yeah, it kind of felt weird to refer to love and their impending marriage in the same sentence, so he could see where she was coming from with that.

After a couple of minutes in the oven, Jesse pulled the cookie sheets out of the oven and left them on the oven to let them cool a little. They finished slicing the vegetables. He then moved the sheets to the island again, handing her a package of provolone cheese. They began to put their pizzas together, sliding them into the oven to cook for about fifteen minutes.

"I'm starving. How much longer?" Beca asked from the couch where she had her laptop in her lap, head phones around her neck with the faint sound of music leaking from them. Jesse was sitting at the little table with some sheet music spread in front of him, looking over what his boss had written for the movie they were currently working on last week. He stood up to check on the pizzas.

"Looks like two or three more minutes." He said, walking back to the table, tapping the rhythm of the sheet music onto the table with his fingers. "I think this sounds like shit." He muttered to himself.

"What does?" He jumped when he felt her lay a hand on his arm as she walked by him, an empty water glass in her hand.

"Um, something Frank wrote for the movie. I don't think it really fits the movie. It's supposed to be an action movie, but this music is way too serious. It is too heavy. Look, I will show you." He stood up and walked over to the keyboard he had set up in the corner of the room. He sat down and began to play the music.

"It's pretty."

"Yeah, really pretty."

"But you are right; it's heavy. It would be good for a drama, but not for something that is supposed to be action packed. It should be fast, get your heart racing." She leaned over his shoulder to look at the music. "It should go up here, instead of down, and the tempo should speed up a little." She said, pointing to a certain part of the song.

"That's what I thought." Jesse said, turning his head slightly to look at her. Beca smiled, blushing, and she stood up quickly. "The music producer in you could do wonders for my career over the next few years." She rolled her eyes, walking back to the fridge to get the water purifier from the fridge to refill her glass.

"I have my own work to do, Mr. Swanson." She sipped her water, studying him as he replayed the song again, making the changes that she had pointed out to him. It sounded so much better, and he stood up. He walked over to the oven and pulled the pizzas out.

"These are ready." He began cutting them, while she grabbed plates for them, excited for her pizza. On her way to the table, she grabbed a knife and a fork. "Really? You cut pizza?"

"I don't like having greasy fingers. I always cut my pizza." She said as she began slicing her pizza. "So, we should get to know each other some."

"I think I know all that I need to know about you solely from your coffee-hot chocolate hybrid, your inability to eat tomatoes aside from in sauces or salsas, you crazy sundae concoctions, and you cut your damn pizza like a toddler." She rolled her eyes, popping a forkful of pizza into her mouth, smiling cheekily at him as she chewed.

"I'm serious though. We should get to know each other."

"You're right. Serious time. Although, it will be hard, because you look like a little kid right now."

Beca flipped him off, thinking of a question to ask him. "They're gonna ask about our first meeting, obviously. That's fine, but it is a matter of our first date and such that we probably need to work out."

"Which one?" Jesse said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"The one that led to a relationship. The other one doesn't count."

"Why shouldn't it count? It would collaborate our story, because even if a couple knows each other for as long as we do, they don't get married after only being in the same city for barely five months. Not unless she's pregnant."

"Or he's trying to stay in the country." She said pointedly, and he nodded. "Right, so we might want to include that first date, too, but it will have to have a different ending then the one it did end with."

"Yeah, I'm not sure the trip to the police station is going to work in our favor."

"You should have just punched the guy and gotten it over with. _I_ wouldn't have had to do it, and then his crazy bitch of a girlfriend wouldn't have pushed me, and then I wouldn't have felt the need to throw a chair at her, thus breaking a window."

Jesse laughed as he remembered the events of that night. Beca had come out of the police station, surlier than she had been going in, vowing to never go out with him again, because it got her finger-printed and fined for vandalism. They had a lot of fun that night, and he had been disappointed that she was so adamant about not going out with him again. At the same time, he realized that it probably wouldn't have been a good idea, considering that he lived in New York. "Although, it does make a funny story for the grandkids." He joked, but he saw that his joke wasn't funny to her. Her face fell, and she looked pointedly at her pizza.

"We should say that we had a great time at dinner, and you drove me home, walked me to my door, kissed me goodnight, and then promptly got onto a plane back to New York the following afternoon. We decided that it was too difficult to be anything more than friends, because our careers had us in different cities, and neither one of us wanted to go through the heartache that is a long distance relationship."

"Sounds good." He said quietly. "So, our second first date…" She shrugged.

"Um, we ran into each other at Chloe and Dean's engagement party. Chloe once again had us seated together, because she was so sure that we were the perfect couple. You and I had a few drinks, and we started talking about life in LA. You mentioned that you weren't happy with where you were in your last job, so you were thinking about looking for a new one. And, you were interested in getting out of New York, because you broke things off with your last girlfriend."

"You remember that?" He asked, surprised. That had been his exact reasoning for why he wanted to leave. Things with Kala had gone sour rather quickly at the end, and he was sure that New York wasn't big enough for the two of them. Plus, he was miserable in his old job, the cost of rent was horribly high for his shitty apartment, and there were no prospects of moving up in his old production company that he worked for. Talking to Hat and Chloe (and Beca by default) about life in LA being great, he decided to make the move there, sending out resumes, getting in touch with old classmates and the contacts that his former professors had sent his way. He applied and applied, interviewed and interviewed, finally landing the assistant composer job with BioTerra. He didn't know what would have happened if he wound up having this issue when he was still living in New York. He couldn't have married a woman like Kala. That would have been hell.

"Yeah, well, I mean, you were sitting next to me and telling Dean about your ex, so it's not that big of a deal that I overheard your conversation."

"Right," he nodded his head, but it was kind of a big deal. At least to him. It meant that she actually listened to him, taken an interest in his life. That kind of thing meant _something_. "Um, so yeah, we should probably say that I stopped seeing Kala earlier than I did."

"When did you and Kala break up?"

"About three weeks before the engagement party." She grimaced. "You know what, whatever. Kala was batshit crazy, so getting over her in three weeks wouldn't be that bad. I just can't believe I wasted a year on her."

"Wait! You cheated on her with me?" Her eyebrows rocketed up, disappearing into her hairline. Shit, he didn't mean to say that. "Twice?!" So, he may or may not have gotten drunk those two times and cheated on crazy Kala with Beca. It wasn't like he planned it, though.

"Kala and I weren't exclusive until about a month into a relationship, so really the first time wasn't exactly cheating." She stared at him, and he knew that she didn't believe him. "Okay, stop looking at me like that. I was drunk; it was spin the bottle. It's not really cheating."

"We made out when all we had to do was just kiss once and be done with hit."

"You're the one who shoved your tongue down my throat! I was just responding, because you a fucking good kisser." He watched her facial expression go from one of horror and shame to being pretty damn pleased with herself. He rolled his eyes, because, really, this girl could be the death of him if she ever decided to mess with him by kissing him.

"That is beside the point! You could have—_should have_—stopped the kiss if you had a girlfriend. Or, I don't know, mentioned that you were dating someone so Chloe wouldn't have tried to set us up at that party. Then, what about New Year's! You told everyone you were single!"

"No, I told everyone that I was there alone. You and I were the only ones not kissing anyone at midnight, so I thought I would just kiss you. It's tradition. I was drunk…"

"You are an asshole. So, I guess we know who is going to be the cause of our divorce." She stood up, taking her empty plate to the sink.

"Hey! I'm not normally a cheater. Hell, my girlfriend in college cheated on me on numerous occasions—I even _caught_ her cheating on me, and I stayed with her, because I thought I loved her. I was drunk; it was stupid. Plus, Kala was picking out the wedding china after about a month of dating, hence the first drunken kiss with you. The New Year's incident was after she told me that I would have to convert from Judaism to Catholicism." He said, following her to the sink with his empty plate.

"First of all, you're an idiot for staying with the girl that cheated. I would know. I saw it happen to my mom." She said quietly. Shit, that is why she was so upset, he realized. It brought up memories of her dad and mom. "Second, it's your own fault for staying with Kala if she was so crazy."

"I thought it was endearing at first. It got a little insane when she found out that I wasn't willing to change religions." Jesse reached out and took Beca's hand in his. Using his hold on her hand, he pulled her into his arms. She stayed still for a few moments before she returned his hug. "I'm sorry if I reminded you of your dad." He said quietly. She nodded her head, pulling away from him.

"Can we take a break from getting to know each other? I think I need to take a shower. I feel gross from all the painting and stuff from earlier." He nodded his head, knowing that she still felt uncomfortable with her new discovery and the awkward hug. She pushed past him, rushing towards his room, not daring to look him in the eye. Fuck, why did he have to ruin this pretty great day?


	4. Chapter 4

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Song Recommendation: **_**Marry You**_** by Bruno Mars**

**Author's Note: This one is a little shorter than the other chapters, but I needed to end it where I did, so I will make it up later. To see the engagement ring, go to this website, but remember to remove the spaces! www. unique-wedding-rings wp-content/uploads/ ****Round-Black-Diamond- 14K-White-Gold-Ring. jpg**

* * *

The following Monday, Beca and Jesse went shopping for the ring. The weekend before had been spent buying her entire wardrobe, a new bedroom set for her, and a bunch of other items that she had lost when the truck was stolen. Plus, they had to tell all of their friends that they were secretly dating for a year and had decided to move in together since Jesse's sublet was about up. To say that their friends were shocked would be an understatement, especially Chloe, who kept shrieking that she told them so. Beca and Jesse had agreed to keep the engagement a secret for awhile, because they didn't want to give everyone a heart attack or a reason to be suspicious of their relationship. They didn't know how many people immigration would want to talk to, and Bumper and Amy were completely schooled in their created back story, but they needed it to seem realistic to people like Chloe and Hat, so if they needed "proof" from them, then they would play it off like it made sense, because Jesse and Beca acted this way or looked at each other in this way, so they should have known all along.

While Beca was in the jewelry store picking out the ring that she wanted to wear, Jesse strolled through FYE, looking at the DVDs to add to his collection. He had about five rom-coms tucked under his arm, and he was looking at a display of horror movies when a song came on the radio station that they were playing that triggered an idea. They still hadn't figured out a way to tell their friends that they were engaged, but the song made him think that maybe he could "surprise" propose to her at their housewarming party that they were hosting about a month later on a Saturday. He put the movies that he was buying down on the floor between his feet and pulled out his phone, texting his plan to all of his friends. When he was finished texting, he returned to picking out movies, grinning to himself.

About fifteen minutes later, Jesse walked out FYE with about twenty movies in his bag, heading in the direction of the jewelry store. Beca had texted him, saying that she was finished and that it was his turn to go looking for a ring. He winked at her as he left, walking over to the pretty woman behind the counter. "Hi," she said, her eyes lighting up at the idea of making a sale.

"Hey, so my girlfriend just left a few moments ago. Her name was Beca. I don't know if she mentioned what we were doing here…"

"Oh, right!" The woman grinned. "I think that this is the cutest thing that you two are doing, picking out the rings, and then comparing them to see who picked out the ring that is more _her_. So, what do you get if you win this bet?" She said, leaning forward, leaning her chin on her hand.

"Well, she promised to be my slave for a month, so I _have_ to win." He told the woman looking at the displays.

"Interesting," the woman purred suggestively, winking when he glanced back at her. "That should be fun for you if you won." He tried to not let the woman's suggestion get to him, but he couldn't help the blush that settled on his cheeks. "So, do you have any ideas about the ring you want to give her? Like the size of the cut, or the style?"

Jesse took a moment to picture Beca in his mind. He wanted to find a ring that really fit her. She was eclectic, different, unique. He wanted a ring that reflected that. He didn't want the classic style of ring. "Something different." The woman nodded. She pulled out a few trays of rings. He studied them, chewing on his lip. Some of them were different colored stones or had interesting designs, but none of them seemed like Beca to him. "Do you think I could just wonder around and look at all of the jewelry for now to see if something jumps out at me?" The woman nodded her head, and he could tell she was nervous that she would lose the sale. "I promise that I will come back to you when I am done." He assured her.

Jesse wondered around the displays, looking at the rings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, and earrings. He stopped next to a display when something caught his eye. He flagged the saleswoman that had been helping him over to him. "Did you see something you like?" She asked him, glancing down at the display. "Oh, these are just necklaces."

"Do you make custom rings?" He asked her, and she nodded her head.

"Yes, we do. Do you have an idea of what you would want?"

"Yeah, Beca isn't like most girls. Most people would probably be turned off by this idea for an engagement ring, but I think she would love it." He pointed to one of the necklaces. The woman's eyebrows rose.

"You want to give her a _black _diamond?"

"Yeah, Beca loves black. She wears a lot of it. She constantly has her nails painted black. She wears a lot of dark eye makeup. It's her thing. Did you see the scary ear spike? She is the definition of alternative and different." He smiled as he thought about her. "I think she would love a black diamond."

"Okay…if your sure." The woman grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. "How many diamonds? What kind of style? How big?" Jesse directed them back to the other ring displays to look around them.

"I was thinking one big round one in the center, you know. Nothing too obvious, if that makes sense. Like not that square one that could like poke someone's eye out." He said, pointing to a ring. He saw a ring that had a series of smaller diamonds along the band with one larger in the very center. "I like that idea. Like line the band with little black diamonds." He said, pointing to another ring. He looked around the rings, seeing that there was another ring that looked like two rings intersecting each other. That seemed like Beca's style to him, because she wore a couple of bracelets and rings that looked like they were tied and double-banded. "I want that style, too." He said, pointing to the ring. "With both of the bands lined with the little black diamonds."

"What if you did the large black diamond with a ring of smaller diamonds around it? Like this?" The woman sketched the ring with all of Jesse's ideas and her added idea. He grinned when he saw it, because it just stood out to him as being Beca.

"That's perfect." He said quietly. "That's Beca." He grinned at the woman. "Thank you. I want all black diamonds and white gold for the bands."

"Done." She wrote it down on the pad of paper. "For what it's worth, I hope she picks yours." The woman said. He hoped so, too. He put a lot of thought into the ring, trying to find something that seemed like her. Now there was more at stake than just winning the bet—he wanted to prove to her that he knew her. He pulled out his phone, texting her that he figured out her ring.

"How long would it take to make this if she picks it? We are throwing a party in a month, so I want to have it ready to surprise everyone."

"I can talk to the jeweler for you while you wait for her to arrive." He smiled, telling her the exact date of the party. The woman wondered off to the back with the sketch.

"Hey, nerd." Jesse turned when he heard Beca's voice behind him. She had a small box of Cinnabon cinnamon buns in her hands, and his mouth began watering, because he was starving. "You found a ring?" She said, eyes flashing. He could tell she was so sure she was going to win this bet, but he was so sure that he was going to win.

"Sort of."

"Sort of?" She said, cocking an eyebrow. She walked over to stand beside him. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked as she put the box down on the counter, crossing her arms. Her face looked victorious.

"I found a couple of rings that I liked, and I wanted to combine them."

"Wait, what?"

"It's a custom ring."

"Jess, you can't be serious! I thought we were picking out something small and stupid that was cubic zirconium or something, considering this is a sham wedding." She said quietly.

"Yeah, but you are going to be wearing this ring for two years. No one is going to believe that we love each other and are going to be married for the rest of our lives if it doesn't look like I actually put some effort into the ring. After we break up, you can give the ring back to me, and I will sell it. No harm, no foul."

"But, a custom ring is going to be expensive. And time consuming."

"Well, we aren't going to tell them that we are engaged until the party or after it, so it won't matter if the ring isn't ready until then." He could see that she was still uncomfortable with the idea.

"What does this ring look like?" He grinned.

"The woman helped me with a rough sketch. She is in the back talking to the jeweler." He told her. A few moments later, the woman returned, smiling.

"If this is the ring that you two agree on, he said that he could get it finished for you in about a month." The woman told them. She turned to face Beca. "You ready to see the ring that he picked out?" Beca bit her lip, looking from the saleswoman to Jesse. She nodded her head, and he rolled his eyes, pulling her against his side with an arm wrapped round her neck. "Here you go." She showed Beca the sketch.

Beca gasped at the drawing of the ring. "Black diamonds?" She said, turning to face him. He nodded his head. "I didn't even realize you could get black diamonds." She looked down at the ring, seeing that there were a lot of little diamonds and one big round diamond in the center. She saw that the intersecting design, and she ran her finger over the drawing. "I hate you." She muttered, crinkling her nose. "You were supposed to lose."

Jesse laughed, turning her to hug her. She pouted into his neck, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "So, I won then?"

"Unfortunately," she muttered, pulling away from him. "It's not fair." She muttered, which made him and the saleswoman chuckle.

* * *

A month later, Beca was standing at her party, still ring-less. Jesse had called the jeweler earlier that day, and apparently the ring would be finished a few days from then. It was probably better that the ring wasn't ready for the party, because they were still being harassed about not telling anyone that they were dating anyways, and it had been a month since they had told everyone. Chloe was still freaking out, her mouth running a mile a minute about how right she was. Out of the corner of her eye, Beca saw Jesse walk over to all of his friends, whisper something in their ears, before moving on to the next friend. She wondered what was going through his head, but she tried her best to remain focused on manning the music via her iPod and be berated by Chloe.

"Hey, Beca, do you think I could steal my wife for a moment?" Dean asked after he wondered over a few moments after Jesse whispered something in his ear. She narrowed her eyes for a moment before nodding her head. Dean grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her away with him. Her eyes immediately traveled around the party to find Jesse. He was talking quietly to Bumper, who nodded his head and went to find Amy. Beca could tell that he was up to something, but she wasn't sure what it was. She watched Bumper say something to Amy, who shrugged before making her way to Beca.

"Hey, Flat Butt." The Australian woman said when she arrived.

"What's going on?" Beca asked her, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean?" She could tell that Amy wasn't lying when she said that she had no idea what was going on. "Bumper just asked me whether you and your special friend made any distinct plans about the _you-know-what_. I said I didn't know, but I would ask you about it. You guys do realize that time is running out, right?" Beca rolled her eyes. She grabbed Amy by the hand and pulled her towards a more secluded corner.

"We know. We didn't want to throw an engagement at everyone right away, especially after telling them that we were secretly dating for a year and now moving in together. My dad and step-mom are paying for the wedding, so I have been looking into possible locations that could be used for both the wedding and the reception. Jesse's Jewish, and I'm atheist, so I would prefer not to have it in a synagogue. I don't think he and I are even gonna have a rabbi do the wedding, but still the glass stomping thing. I dunno. We still have to talk about it."

"Okay, so you guys are remembering the time crunch, then." Amy said, eyes widening. "Considering these things take time."

"I know! I'm about to say that we just go to city hall, sign the paper, and then throw the wedding part later. But, we need the pictures, marriage license, et cetera for proof." Beca shrugged her shoulders. Suddenly, the music stopped playing, and she furrowed her brow in confusion. "What the hell? Excuse me…" She started to move past Amy when all of Jesse's friends from college began singing a cappella what appeared to be the instrumentals of a song. She froze, not knowing what the hell was going on. She glanced at Amy in confusion, and then Jesse began singing. She groaned when she realize what he was doing. She covered her face in embarrassment when everyone turned and looked at her.

"_It's a beautiful night,  
We're looking for something dumb to do  
Hey, baby  
I think I wanna marry you."_

Beca dropped her hands, and she saw Jesse walking towards her with a huge grin on his face. She crossed her arms, glaring at him, shaking her head. She couldn't believe that he was doing this to her.

"_Is it the look in your eyes?  
Or is it this dancing juice?  
Who cares, baby?  
I think I wanna marry you." _

He was about five feet from her now, and the entire room was deathly quiet. She could see Chloe practically hyperventilating across the room, held back by Dean, who was singing with his hands wrapped around the redhead's waist. Beca reached back to grab Amy's hand, gripping it tightly.

"_Well I know this little chapel  
On the boulevard; we can go  
No one will know  
Oh, come on, girl._

"_Who cares if we're trashed  
Got a pocket full of cash we can blow  
Shots of patron  
And it's on, girl."_

As Jesse sang this verse of the song, he shook his drink; the ice and his bourbon clinked and swished around in the glass. Beca took a big sip of her own drink, trying her hardest not to punch him in the face for surprising her like this. She kind of figured if this were a real proposal, it would be seen as romantic, but it wasn't real, and he gave her no warning that this was going to happen. She hated him in that moment.

"_Don't say no, no, no, no, no  
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
And we'll go, go, go, go, go  
If you're ready, like I'm ready."_

He could tell that she was pissed at him, and his eyebrows rose when he sang this part of the chorus, as if to subtly remind her that she had to say yes in front of their friends. She rolled her eyes, finally letting the smile slip onto her cheeks, because this shit was _embarrassing_ to endure. She was going to kill him the moment everyone left the party.

"_Cause, it's a beautiful night  
We're looking for something dumb to do  
Hey, baby  
I think I wanna marry you_

"_Is it the look in your eyes?  
Or is it this dancing juice?  
Who cares, baby?  
I think I wanna marry you_

"_I'll go get a ring  
Let the choir bells sing, like oooh  
So, whatcha wanna do?  
Let's just run, girl_."

As he sang this verse, he pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket, and her eyes widened. He lied when he said that the ring wasn't ready! He had this planned a hell of a lot longer than she realized. Her jaw dropped open, eyes wide. She raised a hand to cover her mouth.

"_If we wake up and you wanna breakup  
That's cool  
No, I won't blame you  
It was fun, girl."_

He winked at that, because they were going to breakup eventually. She blew out a breath, digging her nails into her palms to keep from punching him. She was mortified right now.

"_Don't say no, no, no, no, no  
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
And we'll go, go, go, go, go  
If you're ready, like I'm ready_

"_Cause it's a beautiful night  
We're looking for something dumb to do  
Hey, baby  
I think I wanna marry you _

"_Is it the look in your eyes?  
Or is it this dancing juice?  
Who cares, baby?  
I think I wanna marry you_

_"Just say I do,_  
_Tell me right now, baby_  
_Tell me right now, baby, baby_

"_Just say I do,  
Tell me right now, baby  
Tell me right now, baby, baby _

"_Cause it's a beautiful night  
We're looking for something dumb to do  
Hey, baby  
I think I wanna marry you _

"_Is it the look in your eyes?  
Or is it this dancing juice?  
Who cares, baby?  
I think I wanna marry you_."

As Jesse sang the last four lines of the song, he dropped to one knee, holding the closed black box up in front of her. Beca held back the desire to kick him in the balls. He grinned at her, and she shook her head, not wanting to look at him in that moment.

"Rebeca Charlotte Mitchell, will you marry me?" He pulled the top of the box up, revealing the ring that he had designed for her a month ago. It took her breath away when she finally laid her eyes on it. It was _so pretty _and _so her._ She stared at him for a moment. Fuck, she hated him.

"Yes." She literally had to force herself to say those words, and he could tell, because he looked like he was about to piss his pants over how much he was enjoying embarrassing the shit out of her in front of all of their friends. He jumped up, sliding the ring on her left hand and dropping the box to the floor. She didn't have time to prepare herself before his arms slipped around her and his lips were on hers. She froze for a second, but her arms wrapped around his neck, as if they had a mind of their own. Her eyes drifted shut, and she found herself responding to the kiss, getting lost in the way that his lips felt against hers. This was their first kiss without alcohol in their system, and, shit, was he a good kisser!

Beca felt his tongue stroke along her bottom lip, and she immediately opened her mouth to Jesse, allowing his tongue to slip inside and deepen their kiss. She didn't even realize what she was doing; she was so lost in the kiss, the feel of his body pressed against hers. Her fingers slid into his hair, and she scraped her nails along his scalp. She felt him grin against her mouth, kissing her more forcefully, and his fingers digging into her back. After a few moments, she felt him ease up on the kiss, slowing it down to a few light pecks before he pulled away completely.

Jesse rested his forehead against hers, and she opened her eyes to look into his, finally registering that everyone was cheering and applauding around them. She blushed, burying her face into his neck in even more embarrassment. That moment was way too serious, and she needed to find a way to control her breathing. Shit. Shit. Shit. _Shit._ She felt him press a few kisses to the side of her head, cheek, and then against her ear, and he whispered, "they totally bought that." She clamped her eyes shut, not wanting to pull her face from his neck, because that kiss made her forget that this was all fake for a moment. Sure, she said yes knowing that it was fake, but the moment he kissed her she forgot where they were, what they were doing. It just felt so right to be kissing him. Fuck, this was way too confusing. She knew that she was going to have to fake kisses with him until they could finally admit to everyone that all of this was fake. She finally pulled away from him, not meeting his eyes and smiling at everyone who was rushing up to them to say their congratulations.

Beca locked eyes with Amy, who seemed to register that she was upset about something. She barked that everyone needed to back off or else "Flat Butt might go running for the hills, screaming," dumping Jesse before they even got to the altar. Beca smiled appreciatively to the blond, excusing herself to compose herself, hoping she looked like an overwhelmed woman did when she just got proposed to in front of all of her friends (her _family_). She snuck out front to get some air, grabbing a bottle of wine on her way out the door. She sat down on the front step, drinking straight from the bottle.

"Hey, there you are," Jesse said from behind her. She heard the door shut and then felt him sit down beside her, taking the bottle from her hands. He took a pull from the bottle, handing it back to her. "That went well, I think."

"I fucking hate you." She told him, taking another huge gulp.

"Oh, c'mon, that was great! Everyone loved it. I think Chloe is in there beating the shit out of Hat for not being so romantic." He laughed, nudging her shoulder, but she couldn't even crack a smile. She wrapped her free arm around herself, still refusing to look at him. "Everyone totally buys into the engagement. Donald's wife filmed it on her phone; she promised to send us the video." He said, and she could hear the pride in his voice.

Beca took another pull from the bottle, looking at the ground between her feet. "Great; that's just what we need." Jesse took the bottle from her, taking a sip. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and she felt his eyes on her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, and she shook her head. He studied her for a few more minutes. "That was quite a kiss…" He said, and she swallowed, trying to keep her composure.

"We're good actors." She said a moment later, looking at him when she was sure that her features were composed. She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment on his face, but, surely, her mind was playing tricks on her. Or, it was the wine. Wine always was the worst for her of all the alcohol.

"Right…good acting." He stood up, holding a hand out to her. "Should we get back inside?" She took a need breath, nodding her head. She laid her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up. She was pressed against his chest. Her left hand and his right hand were entwined on their sides, and she was gripping the bottle by its neck in her right hand on the other side. His eyes flickered across her face. His thumb stroked along the tops of her knuckles of her left hand, catching on the ring. He glanced over her shoulder. "I think they are watching us from the window," he whispered, leaning forward to close the distance between them. His left arm slid around her waist as he kissed her lightly.

Beca wanted to break the kiss, but it would look bad if she pulled away from Jesse in that moment. She forced her eyes shut, forced herself to return the kiss, but she tried her best to harden her heart and silence her head. She was uncomfortable with this, because it messed with her. She wasn't supposed to react like this to a stupid kiss. She had to get used to this, because it was fake. This is fake, she repeated over and over in her head. There was nothing going on. This was fake.

Finally, Jesse broke the kiss. He pulled back, smiling softly at her. His eyes flicked to the glass door behind her. "Let's go inside." He whispered. "I think Chloe is about two seconds away from having a nervous breakdown about not being able to attack you about how perfect we are for each other." He cleared his throat, stepping back and dropping her hand. Beca nodded her head, turning on her heel and practically running into the condo.

* * *

A few hours later, Beca was lying in her bed, facing the wall with the door on it. Jesse was lying on the bed beside her, facing the opposite way. Ashley and her husband were staying in the guest room (Jesse's room), so they had to pretend like they were sleeping in the same room. Ashley had winked and said that she and Tom were used to sleeping with earplugs due to their noisy neighbors in their apartment complex. Beca tried to take a deep breath, keeping calm. She felt her heart pounding, fearful that it might pound right out of her chest. She wasn't getting a wink of sleep that night, knowing that he was beside her. She moved her left arm carefully so that the palm of her hand was lying right in front of her face on the bed beside her pillow. Her eyes were locked on the ring on her finger. For the first time since she agreed to do this for Jesse, she wasn't sure if she could actually go through with this wedding. She had always told herself in the last month or so that she was doing a good thing for someone else, that Jesse didn't deserve to lose the job that would lead him to his dream job, to be forced out of the country he had spent the last eight years in—the country that was now his home. But, after tonight—seeing all of their friends congratulate them, be happy for them, be supportive of them—she didn't know if she could hurt all these people. She didn't know if she could lie and pretend that what they were doing was real.

Beca felt the tears burn in her eyes, and she tried to keep her breathing even. She didn't want to alert Jesse to the fact that she was freaking out. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to take quiet, deep breaths. It didn't work. She felt like she was going to throw up. She sat up, covering her face with shaking hands. She felt him shift beside her, sitting up. She started crying softly when she felt his arms slip around her waist. "Shh, it's gonna be okay, Beca." He whispered softly in her ear.

"No, it's not." She whimpered, shaking her head. "I lied to the most important people in my life tonight." She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let her go. "Please, let me go. I just…I can't…" She didn't know what she wanted, but she couldn't have him touching her.

"No, I'm not letting you go. Becs, please. Don't do this." He said quietly into her hair, tucking her against his chest, resting his chin on her hair. "I need you; I know this is hard, but I need you to not run now. It's killing me, too. I'm lying to my best friends, my family, too. I just…I need you to do this for me, because if we don't…if we don't go through with this, it's over for me. I lose my family. I lose my home. I have to go back to Canada, where I have no job, no friends, and no family. I have nothing. I lose the only life I know."

Beca wiped at her cheeks, trying to calm down. She didn't want to be the reason for Jesse losing everything. It just hurt to lie to everyone she cared about. It hurt to lie to herself, because if there was one thing that she had realized in the last month was that finding someone to spend your life with wasn't that _bad_. She found herself wondering if maybe she could get past what her parents did to her as a kid. Maybe she could find someone that loved her enough to break down those walls. If she did this, she was cutting herself off from that possibility. She was attaching herself to someone who didn't love her, forced to live a lie, to pretend, everyday for nearly the next three years. Beca just stared into the space in front of her, listening to the sound of Jesse's heart pounding behind her. She wasn't sure if she could do this. She felt sick, because no matter what choice she made, someone was going to get hurt. The question was: will it be her or him?

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for it go downhill! But, this is a seriously big thing that Beca and Jesse are doing, especially for Beca. She isn't the type to just get married, so this is really hard for her, because it is going against everything that has been engrained in her since she was young girl. She is scared and confused. She has no idea what she wants, but she knows that she doesn't want to be the bad guy who screws over Jesse, but she is really thinking about the ramifications that come from marrying him and having to stay married to him for two years. **


	5. Chapter 5

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Song Recommendation: **_**Listen to Your Heart**_** by Roxette**

**Author's Note: Don't worry, guys! You didn't miss the month of servitude! She didn't get her ring until the end of the last chapter, so Jesse didn't officially win until now. This chapter gets smutty! Don't read if you don't like that kind of thing! I will put a break between the sections so that you know where to stop and finish. **

* * *

Beca hugs Ashley and her husband goodbye, letting Jesse drive them to the airport while she spends the morning cleaning the entire condo. After their breakfast, with the two of them trying their hardest to act like there was nothing strange going on between them in front of their guests, and the three of them left, Beca changed into her cleaning clothing, which were essentially a faded black sports bra with a white racer-back tank top that had more holes in it than a pair of fishnet stockings, over a pair of faded black Soffee shorts that had several bleach stains all over them. She put on an old pair of flip flops that she had worn in the showers during college that became her cleaning shoes. She also slid the arm band to listen to music on her iPhone while she cleaned. She started in her bedroom, stripping the sheets off her bed. She wanted to wash away her memories of the night before—the way that she cried, showed _weakness_ in front of him, the way that he held her in his arms to try to comfort her, the way he begged her not to break things off and ruin his life. After sweeping and dusting the hardwood floors, wiping down the table tops, and putting a new set of sheets on her bed, she moved on to his room, changing the sheets, cleaning the room in the same way that she had cleaned her own.

Beca steadily cleaned every room in the house. She was cleaning the living room when she heard the front door open. She ignored Jesse when he called out to her, because she knew that he would want to talk about the night before. She focused on cleaning the wood floors, singing along with the music coming from her iPhone.

"Becs, can we talk?" She ignored him, sweeping the dust and hair and dropped foods into the dust pan, dumping it in the small trash can that she was carrying around with her. "Seriously, you're gonna ignore me?"

"I'm cleaning." She told him. The song that started playing made her pause briefly, because the lyrics resonated with her life in a way that she didn't want them to at the moment. She stilled long enough for him to feel bold enough to cross the room towards her. She snapped out of it, rushing away from him before he could reach her, dusting the entertainment unit, careful not to knock over anything. She began to sing along with the lyrics as they started playing.

"_I know there's something in the wake of your smile  
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah  
You've built a love, but that love falls apart  
Your little piece of heaven turns to dark_

"_Listen to your heart  
When he's calling for you  
Listen to your heart  
There's nothing else you can do  
I don't know where you're going  
And I don't know why  
But listen to your heart  
Before you tell him goodbye."_

Beca felt Jesse's eyes on hers as she cleaned the entertainment system. Her heart was pounding, because she had every intention of telling him that she couldn't go through with the wedding, the marriage, because she couldn't lie. She didn't want to be a liar. Chloe, Amy, Aubrey, all of them, they were her family. They were the people that made her feel whole for the first time since her parents' divorce, her mother's never-ending series of boyfriends, and her father's remarriage to the perfect wife and finding the perfect daughter.

"_Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile  
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah  
They're swept away, and nothing is what it seems  
The feeling of belonging to your dreams_

"_Listen to your heart  
When he's calling for you  
Listen to your heart  
There's nothing else you can do  
I don't know where you're going  
And I don't know why  
But listen to your heart  
Before you tell him goodbye."_

Beca's eyes burned with unshed tears, because she didn't know how to tell him that she couldn't do this. She hated hurting him, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She was going to wind up destroying his life, but he was just one person in comparison to the rest of her friends. Sure, Chloe and all of them would be pissed that she had lied, but they would feel better knowing that she told them the truth, right? Wait, would they be pissed at her for screwing over Jesse? She didn't know if she could handle that. She didn't know what to do. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a shuttering breath before focusing on wiping down the flat screen with the special rag that come in the box with it.

"_And there are voices that want to be heard  
So much to mention, but you can't find the words  
The scent of magic; the beauty that's been  
When love was wilder than the wind_

"_Listen to your heart  
When he's calling for you  
Listen to your heart  
There's nothing else you can do  
I don't know where you're going  
And I don't know why  
But listen to your heart  
Before, oh _

"_Listen to your heart  
When he's calling for you  
Listen to your heart  
There's nothing else you can do  
I don't know where you're going  
And I don't know why  
But listen to your heart  
Before you tell him goodbye_."

As the song repeated the same few lines over and over towards the end of the song, Beca finally broke down again. She hated feeling so weak around Jesse. He brought out the worst in her: her vulnerability. She hated him for it. She dropped to the floor, leaning her back against one of the closed doors of the entertainment center that hid _some_ of his many movies, wrapping her arms around her knees and pressing her face against them, her eyes clamped shut. She heard him walk over to her, sitting down in front of her. He reached out, grabbing her phone from the cuff, turning the music off, letting the silence envelope them. "Beca, we need to talk."

"Not right now we don't." She said into her knees. "You won't like what I have to say, so you might not want to push me to say it."

"Well, considering you agreed to be my slave and do everything I asked you to do for the next month since I won the ring bet, I am going to ask you to talk to me."

"You told me that I didn't have to do the things that I really didn't want to do. Well, consider this to be on the same level as killing someone." She muttered.

"C'mon, Beca, we really need to talk." She raised her head and glared at him.

"I can't marry you. Are you happy now?" She attempted to stand up, but he grabbed her by the wrists, holding her down.

"Not really, because you promised me that you would do this for me. You said that you put aside all of the bullshit and suck it up for the next two years until I could stay in the US. So, we are going to talk about what is freaking you out and work it out."

"There's no way to fix what I'm freaking out about. If it was just my parents and Sheila that I was lying to, I wouldn't care, but I can't lie to Chloe or Dean or Stacie or, hell, even Aubrey, and she and I don't get along most of the time!" She blew out a breath and ran a hand through her hair.

"Okay, I get it. It sucks that we are lying to the most important people in our lives. I get you are feeling pressured to do something you don't want to do. I get that you have serious commitment issues due to your parents."

"Don't pretend you know me." Beca said in a voice that was deadly calm and deathly low. She knew her face was cold. She didn't care, though. Jesse didn't know her, so he had no right to pretend for a second to know what she was going through.

"Um, I have lived with you for about a month and a half now, I think I know you pretty well." He responded with an equally pissed expression and cold tone.

"Knowing my food preferences or that I clean when I am upset doesn't qualify as knowing me." She pulled her arms out of his grip and stood up. She collected all of the cleaning supplies and went to put them away in the closet where she had everything stored. She heard him follow her.

"I think I know you a bit better than that," he said, catching her by the upper arm as she tried to storm passed him.

"No, you don't!" She yelled, trying to pull away from him. She wanted to shower and to start packing her things. He could have the fucking condo. She would crash at Bumper and Amy's, in their guest room, until she could figure out what the hell she was going to do. "Let me go."

"God, Beca! I don't want to fight anymore! You promised me that you would do this for me. If it would make you feel better, we can send out a mass text to all of our friends, telling them that this is all a farce and that you are doing me a favor. We can beg them to keep it all a fucking secret and then deal with their pissed off phone calls and shit. Would that make you happy?" She glared at him.

"No! I don't want to get married. I don't want to be forced to be your wife for the next two years." She said, trying to pull her arm away from him, but he tightened his hold on her, _again_.

"Tough. You have to be my slave for the next month, and the next thing you have to do is to marry me. Get upstairs, get changed. We're getting married today." He pulled her toward the stairs by her arm. She didn't like this side of him. She didn't expect this kind of reaction from him. She rocked back onto her heels, trying to pull out of his grasp. It did nothing but cause her to stumble. Thankfully, he had the reflexes of a cat, because he spun around and caught her by the waist before she fell onto her ass. He pulled her against his body.

Beca's heart was pounding from the fight, and she could tell Jesse's was, too, because his chest was heaving and his face was red. His fingers were biting into her waist, and she was sure that if he squeezed her hips any tighter, she would have bruises. "Let me go." She whispered, and she placed her hands on his chest, ready to push him away.

"Beca," he swallowed, not letting her go, but he loosened his grip on her waist, allowing her to step back if she wanted to. They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, before his eyes slipped down her face to her lips. "I want you to kiss me," he whispered. It was her turn to swallow, because she knew that if she said no, he would release her. It was a matter of whether she really wanted him to let her go or if she wanted to kiss him. She licked her bottom lip before closing the distance between him. She gripped his shirt in her fists, and she pressed her lips tightly against his.

He returned the kiss, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, holding her flush against his body; she was so close that she wasn't sure where she ended and he began. Their lips were dueling for dominance, residual from their earlier fight. They were fighting over whom would bend to the other's will; who would give up what they wanted for the other. Neither wanted to lose; he needed to win this battle of wills in order to stay in the US, and she needed to win to show that she was still in control of _something_ in her life. She wasn't sure which one of them opened their mouth to the other first, but it didn't matter, because adding of tongues only made their battle more intense. When air became an issue, it was him who broke the kiss, conceding to her.

"Fine." Jesse said after a few moments, letting go of Beca's waist. He took a step back, looking away from her. "I'm gonna go to Bumper's." He turned and walked up the steps, leaving her breathless and in shock. She pressed her fingers to her lips, unsure what that kiss meant. She didn't know if it meant that he had feelings for her (or her for him), or if they were caught up in the moment from the fight. She didn't know if he expected her to follow him. She must have stood there, in shock, for about five minutes; she jumped when she heard him coming down the stairs with a small duffle bag thrown over his shoulder. He walked out the front door, not even saying goodbye, the door slamming behind him.

She made her way upstairs, pulling off her workout clothes to climb into the shower. Standing under the hot spray, she tried to forget about her confusion over the kiss and the fight with him. Did that mean that they broke up? Were they no longer getting married? Is that what she really wanted? Did she really want to be the reason why he lost his friends, his family, his job, and his life? Would she be able to deal with that? Would she be able to handle the questions that would come her way when he left? She didn't know if she could go through with all that. She sat down on the shower floor, letting the water pelt over her skin, crying into her hands. After a while, she finally stood up and showered.

When Beca was finished, she climbed out, lathering up her body with unscented lotion, trying to calm herself down. She was hungry, she decided, so she dressed quickly and made her way downstairs and started to prepare something to eat. When she was finished her late lunch, she decided that she now needed to get drunk. The only texts she had gotten since Jesse had left were congratulation texts from all their friends, a couple more comments about how she _knew_ they were perfect together from Chloe, and a couple of texts from Amy asking her what was wrong, because Jesse was _Tasmania_, single-handedly drinking an entire bottle of tequila, his poison of choice. She responded to the text, finally, that she was currently shutting down her own liver via vodka. Amy texted her that she was going to come over, but the brunette told her friend that she wanted to be alone.

Beca stumbled up the steps, the half-empty (or half-full?) bottle in her hand. She walked into her room, finding the ring on her dresser where she had left it that morning when she had changed into her workout clothing. She took another swig from the bottle before she put it down beside the ring. She carefully picked the ring up, staring at it as she held it between the index and thumb of her right hand. She heard a banging noise from downstairs, and she heard Jesse's slurred call for her. She ignored him, continuing to stare at the ring in her fingers. She heard a second banging noise and then the sound of someone stumbling up the steps, complete with falling and cursing. She swallowed, knowing that he was coming to find her. She took a deep breath, licking her lips. She slid the ring onto her ring finger of her left hand just as he came stumbling into her room.

"Beva, I gots somefing to say to you." He said loudly behind her. She rolled her eyes, turning to face him, grabbing the bottle as she did so. She took another pull from the bottle.

"What do you want, Swanson?" She asked him. She wasn't as drunk as he was apparently, because she could still form sentences and _real_ words.

"You're a bitch." He told her, storming up to her, wagging a finger in her face. "You're a liar. It's not vair! You're not vair! I want to hate you." He grabbed the bottle from her hand, taking a big gulp of the clear liquid. He then slammed down the bottle on the dresser. "Why can't I hate you?" He muttered.

Suddenly, Jesse was pulling Beca into another kiss, one that she wasn't prepared for. She pushed at his chest at first, but, soon, she was gripping his shirt like she had been before. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist, and the other was buried in her, beneath her bun. After a while, his fingers dug into the bun, grabbing the hair elastic and began yanking at. He pulled it from her hair, tossing it over his shoulders. "I like your hair down." He said against her lips, biting down on her bottom lip as he ran his fingers through her loosened hair. She moaned against his lips, running her hands up his chest and around his neck, scraping her nails along the back of his neck. He stumbled backwards, pulling her with him, until the back of his knees hit her bed. He sat down, and she followed him, straddling his hips, pushing him back onto of the blankets.

* * *

Beca broke the kiss, sitting up long enough to pull her tank top over her head, tossing it aside and revealing her white cotton bra. Jesse sat up, kissing down her throat as one his hands slid up her back to find the clasp of her bra, while the other hand grabbed one of her bra straps, dragging it off her shoulder. Her nails were digging into his back through his shirt as her head fell back, arching into his kisses. Considering how drunk he was, he struggled with the clasp of her bra, so he moved his second hand behind her back to loosen her bra, sitting back slightly to pull it from her body when he finally managed to undo it. He threw it over her shoulder, all the while taking in the sight of her bare breasts in front of him. She reached down, pulling at the hem of his shirt, and he helped her remove it. When both their chests were bare, they went back to kissing, all the while exploring each other's upper halves.

Beca moaned against Jesse's lips when she felt his hands cup her breasts between them. She ground her hips against his, grinning when she heard him grunt from the friction against his lap. She felt his arousal between her legs, which made her grind harder against him. He began kissing along her jaw, down her throat, sucking at her collarbone; his fingers kneading her breasts. After a few moments—she was sure that she probably would have a purple welt to hide for work the next day—he suddenly flipped them so that her back was pressed against the bed. He slid his hands along her sides, helping her to slide her body up the bed until her head was lying on the pillows. He began kissing her chest, sucking and biting at her skin here and there, soothing the spots with his tongue before moving on. She arched her back into his mouth, running her hands through his hair, pressing his face against her skin. When his lips closed around one of her nipples, she moaned loudly, digging her fingers into his scalp. She felt his grin against her breast, his other hand massaging her other breast. "Jesse," she whimpered, pulling at his head, wanting him to kiss her again.

Jesse seemed to understand what she wanted, because he pulled away from Beca's chest and returned his lips to hers. As they kissed, she scrapped her nails along his chest and abdomen until she settled them over the button and fly of his jeans. She unsnapped the button and dragged the fly down, slipping her hands into his pants and into the opening of his boxers to run her hand over his erection. He groaned into the kiss, grinding into her hand when she began stroking him. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers and breathing heavily as she jerked him off. "Fuck, you gotta stop…" He said in a strangled voice, gripping her wrist with one of his hands to pull her off. He raised that hand above her head, tangling their fingers together. He stared at their hands for a few moments, and she looked up as well. She realized that it was her left hand—the hand that had the engagement ring on it. She turned to look at him. His eyes bore down into hers, taking her breath away. She could read the lust in his expression, but there was something else there, hidden beneath it, which she couldn't exactly put her finger on in that moment. She was too caught up in the moment—too turned on and too drunk—to really understand or attempt to guess what it could be. She bit her lip, raising her free hand to rest against his cheek, letting her thumb stroke along his bottom lip. He nipped at the pad of her thumb, smiling at her.

Beca slid her hand into Jesse's hair, pulling his head down to meet her as she sat up slightly to kiss him. Using the forearm of his free arm, the one that wasn't tangled with hers above their heads, he rested his weight over her, kissing her as if his life depended on it. She reached between them, yanking on her yoga pants, trying to pull them down with her one hand. He chuckled against her lips, sitting back so that he was kneeling between her legs. He pulled his hand from hers and yanked her yoga pants down, taking her panties with them. He threw the clothing off the side of the bed, taking in the sight of her completely naked beneath him. "Fuck, you're gorgeous," he moaned as he laid back over her again, tangling a hand into the hair behind her head as he kissed her. The free hand began stroking down her neck, over her chest, stopping to knead one of her breasts, tweaking the nipple between the knuckles of index and middle fingers. He then stroked his hand down the soft skin of her stomach, using the pads of his fingers to lightly doodle designs onto her skin, feeling her shudder and twitch from the sensation. She moaned into the kiss, and her moan became a gasp when his hand slipped between them to stroke between her legs.

Beca was sure her eyes rolled back into her head when one of Jesse's fingers pierced her, pressing deep inside her on _that_ spot that made her toes curl and her entire body shudder. He pulled his hand from her hair, his lips from her lips, sitting back slightly to watch her face as he slipped his finger in and out of her. She bit down on her lip, moaning, her eyes clamped shut. When a second finger breached her, she gasped out his name, which only seemed to encourage him. She felt herself steadily climbing towards what promised to be an amazing orgasm. She whimpered as he began using his thumb to press and massage her clit. She was so close, _so_ _close_. She cried out as she tumbled over the edge, her back arching, with one hand fisting the blankets beside her body, the other gripping his wrist, her nails digging into his skin. She fell back against the bed, releasing his hand, allowing him to ease her down from her high, still slipping his fingers in and out of her, but his thumb no longer going anywhere near her overly sensitive clit. She opened her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "Kiss me," she whispered, and he closed the distance between them.

As they kiss, Beca reached for his boxers, using both of her hands and her knees to help pull them down his legs. Jesse kicked them off his one leg, then the other, wrapping a hand around his erection, stroking it a few times. He lined himself up between her legs, using the other hand to grip one of her hipbones. He pressed his forehead against hers, their eyes locked, before sliding into her. They moaned, and she dug her nails into his back, scraping them down as she shifted her hips, getting used to the feel of him inside of her. He pressed a light kiss to her lips, before kissing along her jaw and down her throat, burying his face into her neck. He pulled back, sliding nearly all the way out of her before thrusting back in, with her raising her hips to meet his. They continued this way, with him kissing and biting into her neck as he thrust in and out of her, and her digging her nails into his back, his butt, his arms—any part of him that she could reach—moaning into his ear as he repeatedly hit _that_ spot deep inside of her. His left hand dug into her hips, and his right one slipped between them, rubbing against her clit, trying to get her to that point again. She cried out, and she knew that he was close, but she wasn't there yet. "Jesse, please…" She begged, hoping that he would help her get there before he found his relief. He stilled his hips, wrapping both of his arms around her waist, and shifted back so that he was sitting on the bed, changing the angle.

Beca laid her hands onto Jesse's shoulders, using them to support herself as she raised herself up before sliding back down his length. They both groaned at the feeling. His lips found hers, and one of his hands slipped between them once again, trying to help her find relief. She felt her orgasm building, and she moaned into his lips. Finally, she tumbled over the edge, and he groaned, his orgasm coming moments after hers. She fell back onto the bed, and he followed her, resting his head against her stomach and breasts. Her chest was heaving, and her head was swimming. She felt him press a series of kisses along her stomach and breasts. He turned his head, kissing his way back up her body to reach her lips. After kissing her for a few more minutes, he finally rolled off of her, pulling her to rest on his chest. She shivered; the cool air mingling with her sweaty, heated skin gave her goose bumps. He chuckled, her head shaking slightly with the movement of his chest, and he shifted them, pulling the blankets over their bodies. Her eyes were closed, and using the steady pound of his heart inside the chest beneath her head, she fell asleep. His fingers ran through her hair for a few moments before they, too, stilled, as he fell asleep.

* * *

Have you ever woken up on the wrong side of the bed, and you wake up miserable? But not the figurative wrong side of the bed, but the actual _wrong_ side of the bed? Beca's head was pounding, her stomach churning, and she felt like shit. She didn't want to open her eyes, so she stretched her hand out little on the bed, expecting to touch air and then her end table to grab the sunglasses that she had left there. She figured having that extra defense to block out the bright light shining in her window. But, her hand didn't hit air…it hit more bed and then the edge of a pillow. She was on the _wrong_ (technically, it was the _right_ side, not the _left_, which is the side she usually slept on). It was the side that was closest to the door, farther from the window. Her bed faced two short, long dressers and one tall wardrobe seated between them. On the walls above the two shorter dressers, she had framed paintings of flowers and birds. She might not be a girly-girl that wore dresses and high heels often, or who liked getting flowers and chocolates and jewelry from people, but she did like flowers. She had a small garden out front of the condo, because she liked taking care of plants.

Beca withdrew her hand, placing it on her face, when she came to two realizations. She was _naked_ beneath her sheets, and there was a heavy weight across her waist. Fuck, shit, _no_. Was that a hand pressed against her lower back. No, no, no, no. She carefully opened one eye, taking in the sight of another body lying beside her. He was on his chest, his face buried in her pillows. The sheets were draped across his lower back, showing off the muscles of his back. Her other eye opened when she realized that it was actually dark in the room. One arm was tucked beneath his pillow and the other was draped over her waist, pressed against her lower back. She let her eyes trail over his back, looking at the pattern of freckles that marked his skin and the way his muscles shifted as he breathed. This wasn't good. Shit, this really isn't good.

Jesse was sound asleep, and Beca felt like she was going to get sick. Sick from the alcohol or sick from the realization that they crossed the line, she wasn't sure. She carefully extracted herself from beneath his arm. She raced to her en suite bathroom, shutting the door behind her and emptying her stomach into the toilet bowl. She held her hair back, trying her hardest to stay as quiet as possible. She flushed the toilet and then carefully brushed her teeth, ridding her mouth of the taste of vomit and alcohol. Beca studied her appearance in the mirror. She wore no makeup, her hair was a nest of knots, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her lips were still swollen from their activities earlier. There was also a purple welt on her collarbone. She pressed a hand to her forehead. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. She brushed her hair, pulling all of the hair into the bun.

Beca exited the bathroom, tiptoeing into the room again, collecting her clothing. She dressed quickly in the clothing she had worn earlier, only grabbing a new pair of underwear. She tossed the dirtied pair into her hamper. She needed to get out of the room, and on her way out the door, she grabbed the bottle of vodka and snuck down the steps. She was feeling a little better after getting sick, but she didn't want to risk getting sick again and being far away from the bathroom, so she made her way into the kitchen, which had access to a half-bath. After putting the vodka away, she sat down on the padded bench in the breakfast nook. She turned on the television, and rested her head onto the table, staring off into space, not really watching or listening to the late night infomercials. Her stomach gurgled, and she found herself feeling…_hungry_? She stood up and walked over to the fridge, pulling out a Tupperware container filled with some cheesy rice and bean thing that she had made. Ashley had helped her wash all of the dishes and put away the leftovers the night before, while her husband and Jesse had collected all of the napkins, plates, and glasses. She heated up the entire container, not caring that it was a hell of a lot more than she could actually handle eating. She returned to the table, grabbing a fork along the way. She dug her fork into the food, taking a big bite. She didn't look his way when he dropped into the seat beside her, grabbing the fork from her hands and taking a bite.

"So, yeah…" Jesse said, handing Beca the fork again. She refused to look at him, just took another bite of the rice. "We should talk about what just happened…" He said carefully. She continued to ignore him, taking another bite of the rice mixture.

"I'm sick of talking," she told him finally. She held up her left hand. "Before that little _incident_ happened, I decided that I am a tad bit selfish. I didn't want to risk being left alone with the fallout that comes with 'breaking up' with the special Jesse Swanson. All the questions. All the anger. All the pitying looks. I didn't really want to have to go through that alone. At least, when things go south two years from now, you'll be there to endure half of it." She took another bite of the food, smiling at him in a way that was decidedly not kind. "What happened earlier will never happen again. We will never talk about it. We will never think about it, and we will be smarter the next time that we drink around each other." She looked back down at her food. "It was a mistake. We crossed a line that we should not have crossed. I'm doing this because I promised you that I would. I don't go back on my promises, because I know what it is like when someone does that to you. It hurts. It's not fair. You hate them for it, and you never stop hating them for it, no matter how hard they try to make it up to you. No matter how hard you try to forgive them for it; no matter how hard you try to forget that it happened. I don't want you to hate me, and I don't want to hate myself. So, we are doing this. We are sucking it up." She dropped the fork into the rice.

"Beca," he began, but she shook her head.

"Anytime there is a work function that takes us out of town, we take it. We only sleep in the same room when we have to. We only kiss when there are people watching. We only touch each other in the presence of our friends or immigration or what have you. We find other people to satisfy any little cravings we may have. We _never_ bring anyone new to this house. If either one of us happens to find a person that we think might be relationship material, we don't tell them the truth about our 'roommate' until we are sure that we can trust them not to freak out about the idea that this is a marriage of convenience until you can stay in the country. Do you understand?" She asked him, looking at him for the second time since he had come into the kitchen.

He stared at her for a few minutes. She cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him to respond to her stipulations. It was everything that they had agreed upon before, so she didn't know why he was acting like it was a big deal that she was just repeating them over again. Maybe he thought she would act like a whiny girl, wanting to know what things _meant_ between them now. She wasn't that kind of girl. She wasn't the kind of girl who was clinging and wanted to know where they stood constantly. She knew exactly where they stood. They were getting married purely out of convenience; she knew exactly what that meant. There was nothing going on between them.

"Well?" Beca asked him again. Jesse swallowed, looking away from her. He stood up, walking over to the cabinet where the cups were stored. He filled it with water from the tap, chugging it. She crossed her arms, waiting.

"Fine." He said, setting the empty glass into the sink. He turned to face her. "I get that you don't want me to read anything into what happened, and I won't. We were drunk, and there is no denying that we haven't always had some sexual attraction to each other or else we wouldn't have kept hooking up over the years when we were drunk, but I do want to say one thing about what happened today. I didn't intend for it to happen. I don't want you to think that I was trying to…I promised that I wouldn't turn that stupid bet into something like this. You know I wouldn't do that to you. I wouldn't…That first kiss…I just…I shouldn't have asked you to kiss me. I was just…I was so angry that you were going back on your word. I wanted…I don't know what I wanted." He groaned, running a hand down his face.

"I didn't…I know you wouldn't take advantage, Jesse." She said after a few minutes. She knew that he was worried about that, but she didn't think that at all. It was just a mistake. They were drunk, and they got caught up in the moment. He looked relieved, and she gave him a small, sad smile, looking away quickly. He cleared his throat.

"Shall we start planning the wedding then?"

"We'll start tomorrow. I'm going back to bed. We both have work tomorrow." She stood up and left the kitchen. For the second time in two days, she needed to change her sheets again. She didn't need those memories, either.

**Author's Note: So, you got the first taste of Beca's "slavery." And, it turned dirty, which led to its own set of problems. I hope that you guys aren't mad at me for how this chapter turned out. There is a reason for their drama. The wedding is coming up, either the next chapter or the one after it. Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: Oh, wow! Your reviews made me giggle, guys. Thanks. I hope you like the next chapter. I know they are all morose right now, but I have a plan!**

* * *

The next day at work, Beca's boss (yes, _that_ boss) and some of her coworkers gave her a bunch of expensive, rare records in honor of her engagement. Yes, was friends with many of them on Facebook, and after she "admitted" to all of her friends that she and Jesse were dating, she actually put a relationship status up, saying she and Jesse were together. (She felt like such an idiot for doing it, because she was never the type to say that she should be defined by her relationship status, but Chloe kept posting comments about when she was going to finally actually put it on Facebook and make it "official.") So, after the housewarming party that turned into an engagement party, Donald's wife had posted the proposal on Facebook, tagging both her and Jesse in it. So, she this morning, when she signed into her work email and onto Facebook (you would be surprised just how much networking is done through social media like Facebook), she saw that she had a ton of comments about how great it was and how cute the proposal was. Everyone kept asking to see pictures of her ring. It was all a little much. But, she got some awesome vinyl records out of this, so she wasn't too embarrassed by it all. She didn't really care about her coworkers much, especially her boss after their terrible one night stand, so she didn't have any sadness over having to tell them in the future that she was single again.

When Beca came home from work that afternoon, she heard the clanging sound of someone banging on a keyboard and groaning in frustration. She sighed, putting down her stuff by the door, hesitant to investigate what was wrong. She and Jesse hadn't really recovered from the _incident_ the previous day, so she wasn't sure what to say to him. They barely spoke that morning. She knew one of them had to make the first move and make things less awkward between them, but that didn't mean that she wanted to be that person. Still, she had a question to ask him, so she carefully made her way up the steps. She crept down the hallway, stopping in his doorway, watching as his fingers ran up and down the keys of his keyboard, and some sheet music in front of him. A pencil was jammed behind his ear, and his eyes were latched onto his hands as he played. He was composing, and she knew that she shouldn't disturb him, but he groaned in frustration again, banging on the keys a few times before throwing his pencil across the room, which happened to be towards her, so she had to duck behind the wall before she got impaled by the sharp writing utensil.

"Shit, Beca, sorry!" Jesse said, jumping up and going over to her to see if she was alright. Beca stood back up, smacking him in the chest with the pencil that she collected from where it bounced into the hallway. He grabbed the pencil and sighed, looking very apologetic for throwing it at her. "I didn't see you there."

"I was just coming to see if you were okay. You were murdering your keyboard and sounding like someone was breaking all of your DVDs." She crossed her arms and looked away. "Now that I know you are okay, I'm gonna go." She pointed towards her bedroom and started to walk past him.

"I reached a standstill. I can't seem to get what I wanted to portray onto the page." He said, leaning against the doorframe, watching her as she opened her bedroom door. She paused in the doorway, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I don't know if this is against the rules, but…I would appreciate it if you looked it over. Fresh eyes and all that."

"Well, you won the bet, so you could make it apart of the rules." She told him. His jaw tensed, and she realized that wasn't the right thing to say. "I was…I was just kidding, you know."

"I think I'm going to throw all that out the window. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do, so I will talk to you later." He went back into his room, shutting the door behind him. She sighed, needing to get changed out of her work clothes. She walked into her room, shutting the door behind her. She could still hear the faint sounds of the keyboard coming through the wall, as well as his groans. She quickly pulled off her jeans and button-down shirt, tossing the shirt into the hamper, whereas the jeans were folded and returned to her drawer to be worn again. She pulled on a pair of blue Capri pants with ice cream cones on them (Chloe had bought them for her during college, and she thought that they were cute) and a lightweight white sweatshirt jacket over her white tank top. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and then slid her feet inside of her fuzzy slippers. She left her room and then walked down the hall, stalling when she reached his door.

Feeling bold (and wanting to get rid of the chill that was between them—they did have to live together, after all), Beca knocked on the door. A few moments later, Jesse pulled the door open, blocking her entrance to the room, chewing on his bottom lip. "I would love to help you…if you still want it." He stepped back, allowing her to come inside the room. He walked over to the keyboard, sitting down. She moved to stand behind him, her eyes locked onto the music. He began playing, his fingers flying over the keys. She smiled as she listened to the music. It was good. Really good. But, she could understand why he was getting frustrated. There was something missing. He stopped play and groaned, throwing his hands up in the air. "Stop. It was good." She moved closer, reaching over his shoulder to grab the sheet music to look more closely at it. She found a spot that she could maybe tweak, giving him ideas of where he might want to make future changes. "Move over."

Jesse stood up, allowing Beca to drop onto the bench. She put the sheet music down and grabbed the pencil from his hand. Using the point of the pencil, she indicated the section that she thought could be tweaked. "See how you repeat the same pattern over and over here." She moved the pencil along the sheet music, showing that he had written the same pattern of notes for several bars.

"You want me to change that? I wrote that as the hook." She shook her head.

"No, it's good. I like it. What I was showing you is that you have this all written for one hand, but you don't really have much for the second hand, just a couple of whole notes that don't really do much. Since it is pretty much the same pattern over and over, what if you slowed it down and wrote it an octave lower for the other hand. It would extend the pattern throughout those five bars. Like this." She put the pencil down and then laid her hands on the keys. "I'm a little rusty; haven't played the piano since I was sixteen, but I will see what I can do." She told him apologetically. She then began playing the bars that she had indicated, all the while playing a slower version at a lower octave on her other hand. She repeated it twice while she played the rest of the music in the way that he had it written before. "What do you think?"

"That's good." He sat down on the edge of the bench beside her, bumping her with his hip to get her to move over. They were sharing the bench, their sides pressed against each other, and it took her breath away for a moment. He was too busy being worried about the music to notice, though. He reached an arm around her to write on the staff, making the changes that she indicated. She tried to remain completely still, ignoring the heat of his arm where it touched her skin. When he was done, he dropped his hand, clutching the underside of the bench by her side. He didn't have anywhere else to put his arm, so it was still wrapped around her. "Um, thanks, Beca."

"It's fine, really. I'm glad I could help." She moved to stand up, but he grabbed her wrist, getting her to sit down again.

"I hate fighting with you. I feel like all we do is fight lately." He sighed. "I know that things are gonna be weird between us for awhile, but I just…I don't want it to be that way. We had fun in the beginning. Everything kind of went downhill after the proposal, and I hate that things changed." He was rambling, and she didn't want to think about the day before or the proposal or all the times she showed weakness and vulnerability in front of him.

"It's okay." She said quickly, hoping that he would just _stop_. "Eventually, things won't be as weird. We just have to give it time." She paused, chewing on her bottom lip. "Are you good with your hands? I mean, with tools? Oh, shit this keeps sounding dirtier and dirtier…" She pressed a hand to her forehead. He tried his best to suppress a laugh, but he couldn't do it, and he began laughing loudly, his body shaking next to hers. "It's not funny!" She moaned, backhanding him lightly with her free hand on the chest.

"What were you trying to ask me?" He finally got the words out, after a few false starts, and he was wiping at the tears that were leaking from his eyes from laughing so hard. "Thank you for that, by the way." She groaned, standing up and putting some distance between them, smacking the back of his head as she walked toward his door.

"I was trying to ask you if you were good at making things. I need another shelf for my records. Apparently, my coworkers and boss thought that they would all chip in to buy me some new records as a gift for the engagement." She leaned against his doorway.

"Wow. You get records and I get a slap on the back from by boss telling me that I better get used to the idea of a sexless marriage. I didn't think it was appropriate to tell him that I was completely prepared." She looked away, blushing, because hazy images memories of what happened the previous afternoon started to come to the surface. He cleared his throat, and she figured that he was thinking the same thing. "Right, so, anyways, my dad tried to get me into that stuff, but I was always into music, so I never really got into the sports thing or the playing with power tools thing." She couldn't help it, but the dirty joke just slipped into her mind. She bit her lip to keep from saying it, and he seemed to notice her facial expression, because he groaned. "You're a child." She shrugged her shoulders, grinning. She decided to go with a _non_-dirty joke instead.

"You know, with the amount of flannel you have in your closet, I was suspecting and kind of hoping you were a lumberjack. What kind of Canadian are you? You really are useless in every way." She sighed, shaking her head. He rolled his eyes, giving her a sarcastic "haha" in response.

"You know nothing about Canada, do you? It's a lot like the US, you know. It's not all forests and people living off the lay of the land." He shook his head, but he was smiling. They both were. It was nice. Things felt _almost_ _normal_ between them again. "Although, I do enjoy camping; have you been camping, Beca?" She shook her head, looking at him like he was crazy. She might not be a girly-girl who would cry about breaking her nails or not having access to her curling iron or whatever, but she definitely wasn't the camping type.

"You already told me that you were throwing out what you won from the bet, so you can't force me to go fucking camping and be miserable in a tent with no access to a toilet or a shower." She said, pointing a finger at him. He laughed, shaking his head.

"No, as much fun as it would be to watch you fend for yourself in the wild, I know you are not Katniss, so you wouldn't last more than five minutes after you decided to kill me in retaliation for forcing you to go camping." She frowned at his reference. "Oh, God! That's it. I am reinstating my rights to your slavery purely for the reason that you have to watch _The Hunger Games_. You would like it, you know. There is death, violence, a chick that kicks ass, and rebellion of the oppressed. It is the perfect example of sticking it to the man, Beca!" She shook her head, because he got crazed when it came to movies and her "movication."

"You're such a weirdo." She muttered.

"Anyways, what I was trying to say is that it is a shame that you have never seen Canada. It's great, really. So, I was thinking…you know how we were gonna start planning the wedding and everything? What if we decided to do a destination wedding."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, I'm not. Niagara Falls. We could start in New York City, get the marriage license squared away, and I could show you all my old stomping grounds in the city. Force you to see a show, maybe. Then, we could go to the Falls, get married, have a lot of cheesy pictures by the waterfall and doing all the attractions Stateside, then hit the Canadian side, and finish off our 'honeymoon' in Quebec City. I grew up there, so I could show you around. Plus, we could take a couple of day trips to Toronto and Montreal. They are some distance away, but it would be worth it. Montreal is closer, and it has some pretty good summer music festivals." He stopped talking, running a hand over his hair, blushing. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised, because he put a lot of thought into this—turning it into a very real wedding and honeymoon. "Too much? I just thought that it would be cool to show you around my home, and plus, the pictures would be great for immigration, but it is a stupid idea. I don't know what I was thinking. So, we could just like spend a week in San Diego or San Francisco or something, and it—"

"Jesse, stop talking." She rolled her eyes at how unsure he looked. She didn't know what to say, because it would be a very romantic trip, and this wasn't a real union between the two of them, but he was right, because it was good for 'proving their so-called' union to immigration. She bit her lip. She would just have to put aside her discomfort for the sake of not being fined out her ass and sent to jail. Plus, it would be nice to see where he grew up. "This is a rather extravagant honeymoon you have planned…"

"Well, it was kind of what I always wanted to do."

"If that is your plan for a real honeymoon with someone you actually love, then why would you choose to do it with me?" He hesitated a moment.

"Well, Benji knows like everything about me. We did live together for four years. Plus, when Donald got married, all the guys and I got together, and we were talking about where they were going to go for their honeymoon. I mentioned that I would want to do the whole bring the girl home to where I grew up if we hadn't already done that. Plus, Niagara Falls is fucking cool." He shrugged his shoulders. "They would think something is up if I didn't go there with you."

"Maybe we could tell them I hate Canadians?" Beca joked. Jesse rolled his eyes, walking over to her. "We could tell them that I always wanted to see Disney World."

"You've never been to Disney World?" She shook her head. "What about Disney Land?" She shook her head again. "Oh, my God! You were deprived as a child!"

"Pretty much."

"Well, it's official. We are going to Disney World to celebrate making it through the hell of being married for a year. But, you're kind of stuck with NYC-NF-QC." Her eyes widened, because, what the fuck?

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"NYC, New York City. NF, Niagara Falls. QC, Quebec City." He said, rolling his eyes. "C'mon. It will be fun! You can drink the entire time!" She crinkled her nose. "And, I won't!" He added, making her chuckle.

Her head fell back, and she groaned. "Fine." He grinned, pulling her into a hug. She froze for a moment, not returning it. "Um…"

"Beca, I'm gonna hug you. I'm a hugger, and I'm not gonna just _stop_ hugging. Just get over it." He said into her hair. She sighed, finally wrapping her arms around his waist. She could get through this…

* * *

Beca barely got any sleep that night, because she and Jesse began looking into marriage licenses for the state of New York, weddings at Niagara Falls, and hotels and such in Quebec City. "Oh, look, Beca. This B and B has soundproof rooms," Jesse said, pointing to his laptop screen, to which Beca responded with a grimace and muttered "gross" to his cheeky grin and wink. She called her dad and told him their plan, considering he was going to paying for everything.

Beca had gotten him back however with a comment about wanting to get married at Rainbow Bells. Jesse looked up the wedding site and glared at her when he read that it catered to same-sex couples. "Really?" he asked her, and Beca, shrugged, responding, "with a name like Jesse and your girlish appearance and demeanor, we could totally get away with passing as a lesbian couple."

"I think we both know I am most decidedly _not_ female." He said pointedly, and she shrugged, refusing to look at him, because she was once again slammed with a few hazy images of them doing things that they agreed to never do; she couldn't see them doing anything clearly, because of the alcohol that she had consumed (and possibly because she repressed what transpired).

"I don't remember much from yesterday, so I really couldn't tell you. Although, I have slept with a few women before, so it wouldn't surprise me if I slept with another one." She grinned when he groaned and walked out of the kitchen, refusing to talk to her for awhile, probably because he was imagining her with faceless women, and it would make things even stranger between them. She could tell that things were getting back to the stage they were in before all of the strange events happened (aka their kiss after the proposal, the kiss before they both got drunk, and then the _incident_).

They finally settled on a location for the wedding when Jesse had finally returned to the kitchen and saw that there was a renovated movie house called the Rapids Theatre. He refused to get married anywhere else, saying that they could do all the bullshit weddings right by the falls and get soaked by the mist and all that, or they could get married somewhere _awesome_ like a renovated movie house. Beca agreed simply because he wouldn't shut up about how _perfect_ the Rapids Theatre was. It did seem like a _Jesse_-like place to get married, so she told him that she would get married there if he would shut up. He called the theatre almost immediately, finding out the next available date they could get married there, which wound up being a Wednesday in the last week of June, as in four weeks and two days. They were on a time crunch, they had barely three months until Jesse was going to be kicked out of the country, and the paperwork could take months to get squared away, so they needed to get everything taken care of as soon as possible. At the same time, though, this was happening a lot sooner than either of them realized. They were going to be married in _barely_ _a_ _month_.

So, by the time they got a hold of her dad, telling him where they were getting married, where they would be staying, and what their plans were. He agreed to pay for all of it, except for the weekend before that they were going to be staying in New York City, when they were getting the marriage license, or their official honeymoon, which would begin in Quebec City on the Friday after their wedding. Her dad decided to "splurge" on a suite for them for the four nights that they were going to be in the Niagara Falls area—one with a king-sized bed and a Jacuzzi bath that was big enough for two. Beca responded to this announcement when her father called her back with all the confirmation details was "yay! Now Jesse and I can have sex in a big bathtub four nights in a row, and then go have sex in our really big, comfortable bed" which made her father get flustered on the phone and hang up on her and made Jesse get red in the face and leave the room, _again_. She felt quite pleased with herself to have gotten those reactions from the men.

He returned a few minutes later, complaining about how she couldn't say things like that to her dad when he hadn't even met the guy. "What? You're afraid of making a bad impression with _my_ _dad_?" She looked at him like he was crazy, considering he had gone on and on about how much of a dick he thought her dad was.

"No, I still think your dad is a total douche bag, but it's gonna be awkward when we do meet, because he is going to be imaging all the dirty things that I am doing to his daughter. The sucky part is that I _don't_ get to do any of those things." Beca rolled her eyes at his comment.

"You are such an idiot."

Suffice to say, getting most of the wedding plans squared away, as when, where, for how long, and who was invited, was tiring, but not enough to help Beca get to sleep that night. They had started texting people, figuring out who they wanted in their wedding parties. It was a really hard decision for both of them to decide to _not_ ask their best friends to be matron of honor or best man, but to instead ask the people who knew that this wedding was in fact a farce. Fat Amy agreed the second that Beca called her, and Bumper told Amy to tell Beca to tell Jesse that he was in, too. Chloe was hurt that Beca didn't ask her, even though she had asked Aubrey and _not_ Beca to be her maid of honor, and Benji thought that the reason why Jesse didn't ask him was because he didn't live in LA, so he thought that Jesse didn't like him _enough_ anymore. It almost killed both of them, but they knew that if they were ever in this position again (well, Beca knew that Jesse would be, because the guy would be _only_ thirty when they divorced, and he was a hopeless romantic, so he was bound to get married to the love of his life the second they divorced—hopefully, he would find said girl when they were still married, so they had an excuse to break up), they would be asking Chloe and Benji, instead, because they were the people who _should be_ in those roles. The rest of Beca's wedding party was to include Chloe, Aubrey, and Mia; unfortunately, Beca couldn't get out of asking her step-sister from being a part of the wedding party, because her dad and Sheila thought the sun shined out of Mia's ass. For Jesse, he had Benji, Dean, and Donald as the rest of his wedding party. The rest of the wedding guests invited to the wedding included Beca's mom, Stacie (although, Beca kind of was still pissed at the girl, even after a month and one week had passed since the ditz left the keys to the goddamn moving truck), Jessica, Ashley, Cynthia Rose, Lilly, and Unicycle, as well as everyone's dates or spouses, rounding out the total number of guests to thirty people.

Beca had asked if there was anyone else that Jesse wanted to invite, but he said that the only people he really wanted at the wedding were in his wedding party and Unicycle. He had no family, and the other guys that he was friendly with in college whom he had invited to the housewarming party turned proposal were great, but that he didn't need them at his wedding. She asked if he had any friends from work, and he said that he didn't need anyone from there either. Beca wondered if the reason he was keeping his guest list so small was because he wanted all those other people there when it was a real wedding, but he invited only his best friends for the fake wedding, because it would be strange if they weren't there for it. If that were the case, she wasn't sure why they didn't just elope instead. Sure, their friends would have been pissed, but it would have made things that much easier.

* * *

After work the next day, Beca stopped at a carpenter's store that a coworker suggested to her. She was going to get a custom-made shelving unit that would hold all of her records, including the new ones. Her old one was going to be used in her room, after she stained it to match the furniture in her room, as an actual bookshelf and decorative storage. She had wanted one to take up some blank space, so now she could use the left over shelving unit instead of buying a new one. She parked her car on the street, grabbing her bag and the bottle of soda that she had grabbed from the vending machine on her way out of work. She walked towards the door, and when she saw a handsome man behind the counter in the store, which was filled with custom wood pieces, she hesitated. Balancing the closed bottle under her arm, she stared at the ring on her left hand. She debated whether or not she should remove it, because she and Jesse agreed to hide their relationship from all potential relationships or flings until they were sure that the said relationship was one that could be trusted. Wait, was she actually going to try and sleep with the handsome stranger who was going to make her shelving unit? Probably not. She told herself. She stepped into the store, taking a huge gulp of her soda.

"Hello," the man said, smiling. She ignored the way he combed over her body with his eyes before settling on her face. He was very attractive; he had about a hundred pounds on her easily, and about thirty to forty pounds (of _muscle_) on Jesse. His hair was blond and wavy, and he had green eyes. He looked like an underwear model. She smiled at him.

"Hi, I need to get a shelving unit made." She put her soda bottle down and dug through her purse until she came across the measurements that she had written down. She handed the paper to her. "These are the exact measurements I need."

The man looked it over, nodding his head. "What kind of wood?"

Beca hesitated, not sure what kind of wood they had in the living room. She could call Jesse, but she wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him around this handsome stranger. "I'm not sure. My living room has yellowish wood?" She tried. The man grinned, waving his hand. He left the counter, heading towards the back, which was apparently his work room. He showed her all of the wood that he typically used, asking her which one looked closest to the wood that she wanted. "This one looks right." She told him when she saw a wood that looked like the wood Jesse's furniture was made out of, pointing to it with her right hand, and the man wrote it down on the order form that he was working on. They walked back to the front counter.

The man talked about how much he suspected that it would cost, how long, et cetera, all the while giving her a sexy smile. She blushed a few times when she caught him staring at her in a way that was definitely not how a carpenter should look at his client. She bit her lip, looking at her feet. When she accidentally caught sight of her ring on her left hand, she immediately felt guilty, which pissed her off, because she had no reason to feel guilty. She and Jesse weren't a real couple, anyways.

As she was leaving the store, the man called out to her. "Um, Miss Mitchell," she hesitated by the door, turning around. She wasn't going to be Miss Mitchell for much longer. Soon, she was going to be Mrs. Swanson. She gave him a smile, hoping he didn't notice that it was strained. "My name's Cole." She nodded her head, her brow furrowed, wondering why he would want her to know that. "Just so you know…in case I have to call you or text you…about your shelving unit." She bit her lip, because the guy was beating around the bush, asking to call her without actually asking her out. He had to know that he was attractive, that he could probably ask out any woman he wanted, and she wouldn't hesitate to say yes; what did he have to be worried about? She didn't know how to respond—did she want to open the door to dating this guy? Did she want to be the first one to 'cheat' on the relationship with Jesse? She glanced down at her left hand discreetly, trying to make a decision. The ring suddenly felt heavy on her hand. She didn't _want_ to be in this position, marrying a man she didn't love (a man she barely even _liked_), so why should she stop herself from having fun with a handsome guy? She looked up, smiling at Cole.

"I look forward to hearing from you, Cole." She told him before she walked out the door. She wasn't going to let her life stop just because she and Jesse were going to get married.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, so this one was a little shorter than the others. Also, you guys aren't going to like where it ended, but I had to include it for the storyline.**


	7. Chapter 7

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: You guys are beyond cute! Thank you for all your reviews! Remove the spaces and replace the dot with a . for the dresses.  
**

**Beca's Wedding Dress (except with black lace/beading instead of white beading/lace): **

**dress2sale dot com /image/cache /data/20110709/ weddingdress/dew-400-600 **

**Fat Amy's Dress (in black):**

**davidsbridal dot com /Product_ Batwing-Dress-with-Floral-Detail -1049W_Bridal-Party-Mothers- Special-Guests-Plus-Sizes**

**Chloe's Dress (in black):**

**davidsbridal dot com /Product_Strapless- Satin-Short-Dress-with-Pleating- F15103_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids- Shop-By-Color**

**Aubrey's Dress (in black):**

**davidsbridal dot com /Product_Short-Sleeveless-Organza- Dress-with-Embroidery-F15431_ Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids- Shop-By-Color**

**Mia's Dress (in black): **

**davidsbridal dot com /Product_One-Shoulder-Chiffon- Dress-with-Petal-Detail- F15332_Bridal-Party-Features- Maternity-Appropriate**

* * *

"So, where does your boyfriend think you are right now?" Jesse asked Beca as they left the clerk's office on the Friday before their wedding after getting their marriage license, walking down the New York City street towards a coffee shop that was near their hotel. She glared at him, rolling her eyes.

"Cole's not my boyfriend." She muttered, crossing her arms, hugging her bag against her side. She pulled away from him, letting his arm fall of her shoulder. "He and I have been hanging, but he's not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, I was going to be pretty shocked, since you and Amy and Chloe and Stacie and, hell, your _parents_ have implied how much you avoid commitment like the plague." Again, she glared at him.

"I'm not heartless. _God_. I just…I don't normally do relationships. I generally keep to short flings. This is a normal amount of time for me and a guy to be hanging out." What she didn't tell him was that it _wasn't_ normal that she and Cole haven't had sex yet. She just couldn't bring herself to have sex with him; there were plenty of opportunities to do so, but she didn't exactly _want_ to do it with him. She felt weird about having sex with a guy when she was marrying someone else—not that she wanted to be with Jesse. There were a lot of things that she felt weird about in her life at the moment. She sighed. Maybe if she just _did _it, she would get over all of her weirdness. It would certainly make things easier, because she figured that Cole was probably screwing half of LA now that she and her "roommate," Jesse (aka Jessie, short for Jessica in Cole's mind—she just never corrected him), are on _vacation_ together. He didn't know that Cole thought that he was actually a _she_, either.

"I never said you weren't heartless. Believe me; I know you're not heartless. You wouldn't be doing this for me if you were heartless." She didn't pull away this time when he threw an arm around her shoulders again. "But, seriously, where does he think you are?"

"He knows I am on vacation with my _roommate_ Jesse." Beca told him, but she didn't tell Jesse anything beyond that. Her tone implied that she didn't really want to talk about Cole or her _thing_ with him.

"He thinks I'm your roommate?"

"Yes."

"What does he think that this is?" He asked as he raised her left hand in his right hand since his left arm was wrapped around her shoulders, tapping on the engagement ring with his index finger. She rolled her eyes.

"He saw me wearing it the first day we met, I think, but I haven't really been wearing it around him. It is unique enough and doesn't look enough like an engagement ring that I can play it off as just being a ring that I wear occasionally." He dropped her hand the second she said that she wasn't wearing it around Cole, which kind of shocked Beca. He started to pull away from her, but she wrapped her left arm around his waist, holding him against her side. She didn't know where his reaction was coming from. It wasn't like this was real or anything.

"So, wifey, after coffee, where do you want to go? We have a whole city to explore." He said, trying to change the subject so that they didn't get into a fight in the middle of a New York City street.

"I kind of just want to go relax today. We have the stupid show that you want to go see tomorrow and dinner and all that stuff, and then everyone is flying in for the bachelorette and bachelor parties on Sunday night, and then there is check out early on Monday morning and heading up to Niagara Falls and checking in to the hotel there. I can't believe I'm saying this, but can we just stay in the hotel, get room service, and watch a movie?"

"Hell, yeah! See, movies don't suck as much as you think they do, Beca." He grinned, pulling her tighter into his side. She settled more firmly into his side. This is the Jesse she knew. Things had gotten so much better between them since the _incident_, which they never spoke about. They were pretty good friends now (aside from his weird moments every now and again when he overheard her on the phone with Cole or talking to Amy about what kind of questions they should expect at the interview so that they could prepare some answers), which kind of relieved her because she couldn't afford to have their relationship be strained once they got married. _Holy shit_. They were going to be married in a couple of days. Fuck.

* * *

"I can't believe you are making me go to _that_ as my bachelorette party." Beca said, staring at Sheila and Mia like they were insane. Beca's mom's current boyfriend was kind of wealthy, so he rented out one of the private rooms in the hotel Beca and Jesse were staying in for the weekend in New York City for an early dinner before everyone went their separate ways for the night. They were divided at tables by gender, with both groups discussing the festivities for their final night in the City before they were all traveling to by plane to Niagara Falls—Bumper had suggested that they get one of those stripper buses where scantily-clad women danced around poles for everyone, but then decided against it when Amy said only if really buff, naked men were also there. Beca vetoed this decision immediately, because she didn't want to be anywhere _near_ strippers of either sex with her parents and step-family in tow. She would much rather take a short plane ride instead. She glanced around the table to find that everyone, mostly Amy, Chloe, Stacie, and, _hell, even Aubrey_ thought that the two of them were batshit crazy. "An off-Broadway show about an eighties-themed prom? _Seriously_?" She was actually surprised that Aubrey was against this idea, considering her love for female singers from the eighties, like Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, and Madonna.

"Oh, come on, Beca! You love music, and this will be fun! You get a silly little sash, and there is a bunch of crazy fun music to sing and dance along, too. Plus, the audience decides who gets crowned prom king and queen!" Mia said, clapping her hands. "I can't exactly go around bar-hopping with you and your friends," she said, laying her hands on her rounded belly. "Considering I'm _pregnant_. After the show, mom and I will go back to the hotel that we are renting for the night, and you all can take the limo around and do whatever it is you want to do." She said, crinkling her nose as she looked at everyone; it was her signature "cute" expression that made people like Sheila swoon over how adorable Mia was. It didn't work for anyone at the table, aside from Sheila, including people like Donald's wife, who Beca didn't know very well.

"Look, it won't be that bad, Beca," Stacie said. "As soon as your step-mom and step-sister leave, I found some of the hottest male strip clubs in Manhattan that we can go to."

"Yeah, and I called the owners of a really awesome sex shop near one of those strip clubs, and for a small fee, they agreed to stay open late for us so that we can get you some fun _toys_ for the honeymoon. You know, vibrators, handcuffs, riding crops, naughty outfits." Amy said, wagging her eyebrows suggestively, making Beca's mom laugh aloud and Sheila and Mia get pale. Beca grimaced, looking over at Jesse's table, eyes wide, asking him silently for his help. He grinned when he saw her looking, telling the guys something before he stood up and made his way over to the "girls' table."

"Hey, ladies, I was wondering if I could steal Beca from you for a bit. I won't get to see her for awhile."

"Oh! Are you guys gonna go have a quickie in the bathroom?" Stacie asked. "John and I did about an hour ago. It is a little tight, but Beca's pretty flexible, so I think you guys could do it!" She winked. Beca's eyes widened, and Jesse coughed, pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"Nah, they don't need to have a quickie, Stacie. After the trip to Babeland, they're gonna be breaking out the honeymoon toys early." Amy said, wagging her eyebrows again. Beca grabbed Jesse's hand and squeezed as hard as she could.

"I don't know…_help_." She said, jumping out of her seat and pulling Jesse away by the hand. The second they left the room and found themselves in the hallway, he could no longer contain his laughter. He fell back against the wall, gripping his stomach as he laughed. "It's not funny! First, Mia and Sheila decided that we were going to see some off-Broadway show about a fucking eighties-themed prom. Then, Stacie decided that once they left, we were going to go to strip clubs that feature male exotic dancers. Amy said that she called the proprietors at Babeland and asked them to stay open late so that we can go _toy_ shopping. She said the words vibrator, handcuffs, and riding crop in front of my mom, Sheila, and Mia!" She buried her face into her hands, groaning when he only laughed harder.

"Jesus Christ! I thought it was bad when Bumper said that he wanted to take me to strip clubs and said that maybe I could get a happy ending during my private dance, and your dad said that they don't usually do that anymore if it is a reputable exotic club. He said that I wouldn't want to risk a sexually transmitted disease, so it would probably be better if I didn't go searching for a happy ending." She gagged.

"Shut up! Shut up! _Shut up!_" She moaned, slapping his arm over and over. He laughed, grabbing her hands to stop her from hitting him anymore. "I hate you! You're not helping!" He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Relax, Beca. They are probably only doing all this, because they know it is going to make you crazy." He whispered into her ear. She sighed, laying her forehead against his collarbone, wrapping her own arms around him. "Besides, you know you wanna buy some fun toys to drive me bonkers with." He joked. "I'm sure you will take pleasure in showing me all the fun things that you buy for yourself."

"Something tells me that you like to be spanked with a paddle." She said against his chest, and he chuckled.

"Nah, but I do enjoy _doing_ the spanking." She pulled back and crinkled her nose at his suggestive facial expression.

"_Gross_." She muttered, but she found herself smiling. He calmed her down, for which she was terribly grateful. "Thanks," she whispered. He shrugged, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"So, I'm gonna say something, but I don't want you to take this the wrong way…"

"Okay…" She didn't know where he was gonna go with this, but she figured it was something that was going to make her uncomfortable. He leaned down to whisper in her ear again, considering they could be interrupted at any moment. She assumed that it was something that had to do with their fake union.

"Well, we have gotten away with hand holding and a few pecks on the lips over the last few months, but we're gonna have to kiss a lot more over the next week, since everyone is gonna be with us all of the time. Plus, we are gonna have to kiss at the wedding, so I was thinking that we should…um…practice." He immediately pulled his face away from her ear to look down at her. She dropped her hands from his waist, taking a step back to collect her thoughts. He let her break out of her arms, biting his lip, obviously nervous about bringing this up. She took a deep breath, nodding her head.

"Right…we should practice." She closed her eyes for a moment before taking a step back towards him. She raised a hand, hesitating for a moment, biting her lip. He stepped forward, wrapping one of his arms around her waist, interlacing their fingers of the hand she didn't raise. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, laying her hand on the side of his neck. "Um, should I…or do you…?" He rolled his eyes at her hesitance, a habit he picked up from her, before closing the distance between them. The kiss was light, gentle at first. Her eyes drifted shut, letting him control the kiss. After awhile, he put more pressure on her mouth, his hand squeezing hers, and his arm tightening around her back. She found herself going up on her toes, trying to get closer to him, her nails scraping softly on the back of his neck. He moaned softly into the kiss—she remembered that he seemed to groan or moan or smile or tighten his hold on her whenever she would scrap her nails along the back of his neck or into his hairline; it was apparently something he liked. She didn't know if she should continue to do that in the future or if she should avoid it at all costs; she would have to ask him about that.

Beca's thoughts flew out of her head moments later when she felt Jesse slide his tongue along her bottom lip. She pulled her hand from his, wrapping both of her arms around his neck, pressing her body more firmly against his, opening her mouth to his. The moment his tongue stroked along hers, one of his hands slide up her side, resting along her ribcage beside her breast, she felt like her brain melted. _God_, why did he have to be such a phenomenal kisser? Air was soon a problem, and he broke the kiss to kiss along her jaw and down her neck, nipping at the same place on her collarbone where he had given her a hickey before. Her natural reaction was to dig her nails into his neck, making him groan once again.

"Damn, Flat Butts, save that for later." Amy's voice behind her made Beca jump, and she pulled out of Jesse's arms, putting some distance between them. She smoothed down her hair, biting her lip in embarrassment when she saw that Chloe was quivering like a puppy over "how cute they are," Amy's cocked eyebrow, Donald and Stacie's thumbs up gestures and winks, the smiles from the rest of their friends, and the general discomfort coming from Beca's family members. Jesse ran a hand through his hair, clearing his throat. He shrugged, wrapping an arm around Beca's waist, pulling her into a hug and pressing a light kiss against her cheek that blocked his mouth from everyone's view, whispering in her ear that it appeared they didn't need much practice after all. She blushed, burying her face into his chest, because she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"So, we just wanted to tell you guys that you might want to get a little something on your stomachs before you kill yourselves on alcohol tonight." Chloe said, rolling her eyes at how embarrassed Beca was at being caught making out with Jesse. Beca looked up at him quickly, her eyes widening, because them and alcohol didn't exactly mix well, considering the last time they had a heated kiss, then drank, it resulted in the _incident_ that she still had trouble remembering completely.

"Aubrey, can I trust you not to let Beca drink too much tonight, because I would rather she wasn't miserable and sick all day tomorrow when we first get to Niagara Falls." He said, looking at the blond, who nodded her head emphatically.

"Totally. Nobody wants to throw up in the tiny plane bathroom." She said, shaking her head. Beca squeezed Jesse's hip in thanks.

"Let's get some food on our stomachs," she said, pulling away from him and took one step towards the crowd of people, only hesitating for a moment when he interlaced his fingers with hers and followed her into the room. Instead of going back to his table, he sat down in the seat that Amy vacated beside Beca's seat, making the blond go sit with her husband at the guys' table. She tried to keep her focus on the meal, listening to Mia complain about having to wear a black bridesmaids' dress to a wedding, but the heavy weight of Jesse's arm pressed against the back of her neck when he wrapped around the back of her chair or the way he was leaning into her side; she smiled to herself when he immediately picked out all of the tomato slices and gave her all of his croutons and pepper slices from the garden salads the waitress set in front of them. As they waited for the next course to come out, she let herself relax into his side, leaning her head on his shoulder, laughing along with everyone else when Aubrey complained about something her husband did, who called out that he heard her talking about him from the guys' table.

When the dessert came, she found that she was full, so she said she didn't want anything, but when his brownie and vanilla ice cream drenched in whip cream and caramel and hot fudge with a cherry on top was set in front of him, she stole the cherry from him and then his spoon several times throughout dessert; to get back at her, he swiped his finger through the whip cream, dabbing it on her nose. She smacked his chest as she wiped off her nose, pouting, but he just responded by brushing a light kiss against her nose before focusing back on his dessert, and she could have sworn there was a slight blush on his cheeks. She chewed on her bottom lip, unsure whether that was just for show or if he felt embarrassed for getting caught up in the moment. Stacie complained about how cute they were, which made Beca blush and bury her face into his neck, not wanting to think about the implications that came from their "cuteness."

"Seriously, you guys! Did I call it or what!? I can't believe you all lied to us for a year." Chloe pouted from the other side of Beca. The brunette groaned, choosing to not remove her face from where it was pressed into Jesse's neck.

"Um, well, you know how Beca is. She wasn't sure it was gonna work out, especially with me not having a definite job here in LA until a few months ago." He said, moving his arm lower on her back so that he could stroke his fingers along her arm, making her shiver (what? It tickled…not like it gave her tingles or anything).

"You didn't have a job until recently? How can you support my step-sister?" Mia asked with her eyebrows raised. Beca rolled her eyes against his neck, which made him twitch from the feel of her eyelashes stroking his skin. That was something else that she decided to store away for later. She rolled her face out of his neck, resting her head on his shoulder again, to look at her step-sister. There was no way that Mia was concerned about her.

"Actually, Jesse is a very talented composer. He worked here in New York City and did rather well in his job here, but when he didn't find himself with enough opportunities to compose his own music, he decided to look for jobs here in LA. About seven months ago, he got a job as an assistant composer at a production house here."

"Oh? Will I hear your music in anything?" Mia asked, her eyes narrowed; her question was directed at Jesse, but her eyes were locked with Beca's. It was like the blond girl was trying to compete over who had the better husband. Beca rolled her eyes again.

"Right now, my job is helping the head composer, rewriting parts of his pieces as needed and helping conceptualize the scores for the projects we are currently working on, but my boss has been very supportive of my aspirations to compose my own pieces."

"That piece you were writing last month was really good." Beca said, smiling up at him.

"It got better after you helped me." He told her, looking down into her eyes.

"God, I hate you both. It _almost_ makes me want to get married." Stacie pouted, and Jesse looked over at the girl, his mouth opened to say something, but Stacie kept talking. "But, _he_ loves sex with strangers too much." He furrowed his brow in confusion, looking down at Beca when she began giggling.

"She calls her vagina a dude." She told him, making his eyes widen in shock, which only made her giggle more. She ignored Sheila's grunt of disapproval or Mia's look of disgust, instead focusing on the way he crinkled her nose and rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his water.

"You know, Jesse, it's such a shame that you are marrying Beca and I actually like her, because I would totally tap _that_." Stacie told him, winking, making him choke on his water. Beca laughed harder, because she could totally tell her slutty friend was just joking (_right_?). She felt bold, pressing a light kiss against the tendon in his neck before turning back to Stacie.

"He's got that covered." She told the brunette. She felt his eyes on her cheek, so she glanced up at him. She couldn't read what his eyes were trying to conveying, but she knew that the suggestive grin didn't meet his eyes like it usually did when they made sexual innuendos toward each other. He leaned forward, kissing her gently, leaning his forehead against hers after a few moments.

"Yeah, I'm good." He said quietly. Beca didn't know if it was because she was good at reading him now or if it was because he was so close to her, but she could hear the disappointment in his voice. She tried to keep her face even to not draw attention to it, considering no one else picked up on it, considering chorus of "awwws" that came their way by everyone but Sheila and Mia, who complained about the conversation being highly inappropriate at dinner.

"Alright, aca-bitches, the limo has arrived." Amy said, walking over to the table. "Flat Butt, stop lip-locking your fella like two dingoes in heat. Time to get our prom on, then onward to Beca's final night of depravity before she gets hitched." Beca pulled away from Jesse, giving him one last kiss before she stood up,. She ran her fingers through his hair before she followed the other women out the door.

* * *

Beca refused to give up her cell phone when the girls tried to take it away, because she considered it to be the only way that she could stay sane. She texted Jesse throughout the night, complaining about how _lame_ the eighties prom thing was, to which he responded that she should stop lying, because he knew how much she loved eighties music. She texted him about how there was an overly muscular man pressing his junk that was only covered by a g-string thong to her face, to which he responded with "prove it," so she asked if Amy to take a picture of her looking towards her phone and pointing to the guy's penis being shoved in her face. Beca had told Amy to position herself so the guy's butt cheeks were in the picture, too. Jesse's response to that text was a stripper trying to suffocate him with her boobs. She decided to call him then, so she snuck off to the bathroom.

"Hello?" Jesse's slurred voice came over the phone, and it was then that Beca decided she was going to no longer drink, not that she had that much to start with (they had only hit the first strip club since the conclusion of the prom show.

"Hey, hubby. How much are you enjoying having some chick's fake boobs being shoved into your face?" She asked him, trying to keep her voice even.

"Almost as much as you enjoy getting some greased up Arnold-wannabe shoving his dick in your face."

"So a lot then?" She joked.

"Exactly!" She rolled her eyes, despite the fact that he couldn't see her. "So, are you having fun?" She could hear the guys complaining in the background that he needed to get off the phone, because his private lap dance was coming up, but she sensed that he would ignore them for as long as she wanted to talk.

"Yeah, I'm having fun…I guess."

"You guess?"

"How drunk are you right now?" He was quiet for a few moments, and she sighed. "I'm just trying to see if you are going to forget what I'm about to tell you or if I will have to live with it for forever."

"I'm not that drunk. Everything around me is blurry, though." He told her, making her smile, because it was pretty similar to what he said before he first proposed to her.

"That's drunk enough…I hate admitting this, but I think I would have more fun with you watching some cheesy movie where you tell me your asinine 'fun' facts about the movie, its director, and the actors." She told him, looking at herself in the mirror for a moment. She then looked down at the ring on her left hand. "I've kind of got used to spending most of my evenings with you, so it is kind of weird that you're not here."

"Then, sneak out of your bachelorette party and meet me back at the hotel. We can climb into our beds and watch a movie and go to bed early." She raised her eyes to look in the mirror, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Amy would know that something is up. She knows that this isn't…isn't real." She told him. He was quiet for a few minutes.

"You didn't tell her that we…uh…about the _incident_."

"No!"

"Well, maybe you should. You could tell her that it happened and that you want it to happen again. She would let you go then. Everyone else would think it is cute that you don't want to be away from your fiancé for that long."

"I can't tell her that we slept together, Jesse." It was the first time that she actually said those words, actually admitted that that is what they did. She closed her eyes, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. "It just…she is gonna have more questions that I can't exactly explain to her."

"Like what?"

"She is going to question whether the way we have been acting is all fake or if…" She trailed off, not knowing where she was going with that sentence.

"If what?" She shook her head, as if he could see her. "If what, Beca? If it is _real_? Don't worry; I'm sure that you could figure out a way to prove to her that nothing that is happening between us is real. You have your _boyfriend_, remember?" Her brow furrowed at how harsh he was sounding all of a sudden. "Look, I gotta go. The guys are harassing me about being on the phone with you. Text me if you decide to bail early. If not, I'll see you later." He hung up the phone, and she pulled it away from her ear to stare at it for a moment. She didn't know where that came from.

She walked out of the bathroom, feeling tired and miserable. She really didn't want to go from strip club to strip club to sex shop at all. Amy took one look at her, grabbing her by the upper arm to drag her to a more secluded area of the club. "What's wrong?"

"I'm…I really want to go back to the hotel. Jesse and I just got in an argument over the phone, and I just don't want to deal with complete strangers thrusting their dicks into my face." She said, running a hand through her hair.

"Why were you fighting?"

"I don't know. I said that you wouldn't understand why I would rather go back to the hotel and watch a movie than get smashed off my ass and go shopping for sex toys, and he said that I should just tell you that we slept together and…shit." She was flustered over the argument with Jesse; she didn't intend on letting that slip out of her mouth.

"You slept with Jesse?!" Amy squeaked. Beca looked around the blond, hoping that people didn't hear her outburst, because it would make them suspicious of her relationship with him.

"I didn't mean to. We got in a fight, and we kissed. Then, he took off to _Tasmania_ and you kept texting that he was drinking himself to death, and I responded that I was doing the same. Well, the second he got back to the condo, he came upstairs to my room, and…well, we had sex. We were drunk. We didn't mean to do it. It was a mistake, and now I really don't want to risk it happening again. I haven't allowed myself to drink that much again around him."

"That explains those kisses, because, _damn_, Flat Butt. You guys were practically fucking in the hallway at the hotel. Plus, what the hell was all that at dinner? You don't think I saw you guys acting like two horny teenagers from the other table?"

"We were not! There's nothing going on with Jesse and me." She looked away from Amy's look of disbelief. "I've been dating someone."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Beca? You don't date someone until after the wedding and you guys guarantee that Jesse's allowed to stay in the country, not before the wedding when it could easily get out that you guys are lying." Amy said harshly.

"No one's going to find out about Cole and me. We have been discreet. We haven't even slept together."

"I wonder why." Amy said pointedly, making Beca roll her eyes. "Look, you wanna bail, then that is fine. But, we have to go to the sex shop first, because I promised Bumper I would bring home toys for tonight, and the rest of the girls are looking forward to buying you and Jesse stuff. We'll talk about all of this later." Amy said, pointing at Beca.

Beca groaned, but nodded her head. The two of them went back to find the girls, telling them that Beca missed Jesse too much and wanted to rock his world, so they were going to head to the sex shop and then let her head back to the hotel.

When they got to the sex shop, a few hours earlier than they were supposed to, she tried to smile and laugh as Chloe took pictures of Amy and Stacie simulated sex acts with the toys. She tried to act appreciative when the girls bought Beca naughty outfits, sexy lingerie, and a variety of sex toys that she never intended or wanted to use. She told the girls to keep the limo and took a cab back to the hotel.

She chose not to text Jesse, because she was kind of mad at him. She called for room service, requesting chocolate covered strawberries and a glass of milk before getting a shower and getting dressed in her pajamas. After her order came, she tipped the bellboy before settling into her bed, sliding her headphones over her ears and began listening to her mixes while she ate the strawberries. She felt her eyes begin to droop, and she somehow fell asleep with the tray of strawberries on her lap and her headphones around her ears. Sometime later, she woke to Jesse lifting the tray from her lap. She groaned, rubbing at her eyes as she pulled the headphones off and closed her laptop, setting it on the floor beside her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." He said, climbing into the bed beside her. She could tell that he wasn't drunk at all, despite his staying out for most of the night. She figured that he probably stopped drinking after their conversation. She rolled on her side to face him, and he reached out a hand to tuck a damp strand of her hair behind her ear. "I suck. Forgive me?" She nodded her head, yawning. She was exhausted, and she just wanted to go to sleep. "C'mere." He said, pulling her against his chest, letting her use his body as a pillow. He stroked his fingers through her hair. She tried to not let herself fall asleep, but it just felt so good to hear his heartbeat beneath her ear and his fingers stroking through her hair. She was out in a matter of moments.

* * *

A few days later, Beca found herself walking down the aisle in a tea-length white dress with spaghetti straps; when she had the dress made, she requested that it had black beading and lace added to it, because it was the closest anyone would let her get to wearing a black dress. She had told the girls to get any style they wanted in black for their bridesmaids' dresses. Amy found a sleeveless black dress that flattered her figure nicely, with a little black flower on one of her straps. Aubrey wore a sleek, A-line dress that gathered at the waist and had a black lace detail along the neckline and on the back. Chloe wore a little black dress that was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and that fell about halfway down her thighs. Mia wore a longer, one-shoulder black dress that had an empire waist, loose skirt to accentuate but not draw too much attention to her baby bump, and a flower detail on the shoulder strap, similar to Amy's dress.

Right before she made her final walk as Rebeca Mitchell, single girl, her mom had to freak her out, saying as sweet as Jesse is and how obvious it was that they loved each other, did she really want to tie herself to him. She had asked both of her parents to walk her down the aisle, because her dad was pretty much forcing it upon her, and she didn't want her mom to be pissed off about it. Her father scoffed, calling her mom a heartless bitch. She watched as her friends walked down the aisle, smiling and holding their bouquet of white and red flowers tied with black and white ribbons. She looked up, and she knew that Jesse saw her, standing there at the end of the aisle with a miserable look on her face because her parents were fighting around her. He gave her a small smile and mouthed that she looked beautiful. She blushed, looking down at the bouquet of flowers in her hands. She looked back up at him, and he mouthed thank you to her, and she realized that she needed to get over that her parents were trying to ruin her day again.

"God! Would you guys just shut up?! I'm trying to get married here. I'm just gonna walk by myself." She snapped, turning back to face Jesse, taking a deep breath and smiling, trying to act like she was a blushing, happy bride. She started down the aisle alone; occasionally, she glared over her shoulder at her parents when they continued to argue about whose fault it was that she decided to go ahead of them as they caught up to her. She finally reached him, passing off her flowers to Amy like she was supposed to, letting him take her hands in his.

He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You look gorgeous. Forget about them." He whispered into her ear before pulling back to give her another smile. She swallowed, feeling like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

Beca tried to pay attention to what the justice of the peace was saying, but her eyes were locked with Jesse's, small smiles on their faces. Neither one of them were paying attention it seemed, because the justice of peace snapped his fingers between their faces a few times, trying to get their attention. They blushed, and Jesse dropped one of her hands to brush over his face. The justice of peace tried again, saying that they decided to do their own vows. She went first.

"Jesse, for a little while, I struggled with what I actually wanted to say to you in this moment, but I finally realized that I should be honest with you. The first time that I laid my eyes on you, I thought that you were probably the biggest ass that I had ever come across." Everyone laughed, including him. "You kept going on and on about how amazing movies were and telling me that I don't like fun things because I know German, so I had to tell you how much of weirdo I thought you were. You told me that I was also a weirdo, which was a good thing because we were going to become best friends and/or lovers. I do believe my reaction to this was that I thought you were a complete idiot and found nothing attractive about you in the least." She rolled her eyes. "You told me that I was going to go all squidy and drape myself all over you, which you said was going to be fun for the both of us, so I punched you in the stomach. Despite our rocky start, though, you were rather persistent and somehow wormed your way into my life." She paused. "I have always had trouble letting people in," she hesitated, looking down at their hands, watching as his thumbs stroked along her knuckles, a gesture that calmed her nerves some. "I have a hard time trusting people, and I have come to rely on you as one of the few people that I can trust, that I can count on even during difficult times. I really have no idea how you got me, the girl who was so sure she never wanted to be in a relationship for longer than five minutes, let alone get married, standing in front of you in a mostly white dress, vowing before you and our _family_ to be your wife and all that goes with it. One thing that I am sure of is that, today, I get to marry one of my best friends." She crinkled her nose, because she felt so ridiculously cheesy saying that, but she had to end it with something that sounded romantic and loving without actually saying those words. She said that she was going to be honest, so why would she lie about being in love with him in front of everyone. "Alright, you go, because I feel like a total idiot right now." Everyone chuckled again.

"See, I was right that you would eventually go squidy and drape yourself all over me, that we would become best friends AND lovers." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, okay, I'm just joking, but it's time to get serious." He licked his bottom lip, a serious expression slipping onto his face. "The first time I laid my eyes on you, I knew that one day we would be standing exactly where we are. I played it off like it was all just some big joke, but I knew that you were something special and that I could spend my life with you."

Beca tried to keep her shocked expression off of her face, because holy shit, he was so much better at faking the vows thing than she was. Jesse was staring into her eyes, and she felt like she was going to pass out with how intense his eyes were. She could see the flecks of green and gold in all the brown. He smiled at her, continuing to speak.

"It took me…uh…two years to finally get you to agree to go on another date with me after the shambles of a first date we had when we first met. Although, I am so happy to know that if I ever get attacked again by a big brute of a guy, you will defend me by punching him in the face and throwing a chair at his girlfriend." She rolled her eyes. "Um, I'm not sure when exactly I fell in love with you over the last three years that I have known you, but I do know that these last few months that we have been living together and spending our days together, deciding to spend the _rest_ of our days together, I have only fallen more in love with you. I want you to know that I am standing before you today, a better man because I have you in my life, and I am looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together."

Her eyes widened momentarily, and she was sure that she forgot to breathe. She couldn't pull her eyes away from him, because that was a really great speech. He made it sound so serious, so heartfelt, like he actually meant those words. Her heart stopped momentarily, but then she reminded herself that it wasn't real, that he didn't mean those words. He totally pulled some of those lines from some obscure movie that none of them would know existed, and it's not like he ever said that he was going to be _honest_; he just said that he was going to be _serious_. There was a huge difference between those two words.

Beca barely registered that the justice of the peace telling her and Jesse to exchange the rings. She felt Amy tap her shoulder, handing her a white gold band that matched her engagement ring and the black-diamond studded wedding band. Her hands shook as she slid the ring onto his finger, saying "with this ring, I thee wed." He followed suit, sliding her wedding band onto her finger. Bumper handed him a folded up white cloth around what appeared to be a glass, which he set on the floor in front of his right foot. He stomped on it, and everyone cheered when they heard the crunch of the glass beneath his foot. The justice of the peace told them to kiss, and Jesse closed the distance between them, sliding his arms around her waist. She immediately responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to hers, her eyes clamped shut. The kiss was sweet, hesitant, not as heated as the kisses they had shared in the past. It was _her_ who slid her tongue along the seam of his lips; it was _her _who gently stroked her tongue along his when he opened her mouth to him. The kiss didn't get too much further than that, though, because she was aware that everyone was watching them, so she broke the kiss, giving him a couple of light pecks before finally pulling away from him. They stared at each other, their eyes locked as the justice of the peace declared them Mr. and Mrs. Swanson. It was official; they were married.

* * *

**I'm not sure when I will get the next chapter out. I started writing this right after chapter six, and I didn't post the previous chapter until this chapter was about half-done. I have a major exam for my program on Saturday, and I need to get some school work done, as well as to clean my room this weekend, so it will be some time before chapter eight is out. I hope that you liked it! Let me know what you think. **


	8. Chapter 8

**My Fake Husband Chapter 8**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar. **

**Song Recommendation: **_**All About You**_** by Bruno Mars**

**Author's Note: So, my computer screen went bye-bye right in the middle of studying for the major exam I wrote about at the end of last chapter on Friday. Thankfully, I'm smart, so I was able to do really well on the exam without studying much. (I'm not trying to be full of myself by saying that; I am actually really freaking excited that it turned out that way, because I really didn't want to have to take the exam over again, because I can't start my internship actually counseling families without passing this exam.) Anyways, I had to work on this chapter when I could by emailing it to myself and stealing my parents' computer when I could. I hope you like this chapter. **

* * *

After the reception ended and they were finally allowed to leave their guests to start their 'honeymoon,' Beca and Jesse made their way back to their hotel room—the one with the Jacuzzi big enough for two and the big king-sized bed. Amy, in front of everyone, said that Beca should use her "presents" from the other girls. Beca flipped her off, because really that isn't cool after she knew about the _incident_, and refused to look at Jesse, who was getting suggestive looks and gestures from Unicycle and Bumper. The two of them stopped at the doorway to their hotel room. "So, should I carry you over the threshold?" He joked, and she glared at him, using her keycard to open the door to the hotel room. He sighed loudly, grabbing her in his arms and carried her into the hotel room, despite her grunts of disproval. He walked her over to the bed and dropped her on it. "I'm gonna go get a shower." He walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Beca sighed, taking advantage of his leaving the room to change out of her dress. She stood up, walking over to where she had left her suitcase in the corner of the room, beside the arm chair in the room. She took a few minutes to dig through her suitcase, trying to find a clean pair of shorts and a tank top to wear to bed. Before they left for their honeymoon, they should really go find a Laundromat to wash their clothes, because she was running low on the clothes she had brought with her. Once she found the clothes she was looking for, she set them down on the chair beside her. She reached behind her to pull at the zipper of her dress. When she had unzipped it, she pulled the straps down her shoulders, leaving her in a pair of white lace underwear. She reached for the tank top, pulling it on. The door to the bathroom opened just after she pulled the shirt on; she didn't have time to grab the shorts.

"Shit, sorry." Jesse said after she jumped. Beca shrugged her shoulders, bending over to pull the shorts on. She turned to see that he was dressed similarly to her, in the white wife-beater he had worn beneath his suit and his boxer shorts, and his hair was unkempt from being wet. She kept her eyes trained on his face as she walked towards the bathroom.

"I'm just gonna go brush my teeth." She whispered, and he stepped out of the way, letting her enter the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing the makeup from her face, she walked back into the room to see that he was lounging on the left side of the bed with his laptop in his lap. "You're on my side." He rolled his eyes, sliding over to the right side. "What are you doing on there?"

"I'm on Facebook."

"You realize, people think that we are having sex right now, right? You can't go on Facebook."

"I was kidding. I was setting up a movie." He told her, looking at her. She rolled her eyes at him, climbing into the bed beside him.

"What are we watching?" She asked, sliding closer to him to see the computer screen.

"Porn. Bumper gave it to me, to spice up our honeymoon." She laughed when she saw that he was telling the truth.

"What the hell? Is this BDSM-themed?" She asked when she saw what the girl was wearing (or rather, what little she was wearing).

"I think it is supposed to go with your toys." He said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of toys did they give you?"

"Oh, you know…handcuffs, a collar, a paddle, a vibrator…the whole nine yards."

"Fun…" He laughed.

"We're not watching this."

"Why not? Are you afraid for me to see your kinky-side, Beca?"

"No, because this stuff grosses me out. Why can't it be a normal, horny housewife and the cable repairman bit?"

"I'm sure we could find one on Netflix." Jesse said, closing out of the video player without even starting the movie.

"Oh, good!" Beca joked. He logged into his Netflix account, and she stopped him before he could actually look for porn that matched her specifications. "No, stop! Can't we watch something else? I'm willing to watch whatever bullshit movie you want to put on right now."

"Fine, love story it is." She groaned, making him chuckle. "_When Harry Met Sally_?" She shrugged, not knowing what movie it was. He sighed, because she didn't recognize the movie title. As he got the movie ready, she contemplated talking to him about his vows earlier, asking him which movie he stole some of those lines from. But, the movie started playing, and she decided against it. She settled back into the pillows, resting her head on his shoulder to better see the screen from where the laptop was positioned on his lap. This was one of the few movies that they had watched over the last few months that she actually liked, but she wondered why he chose a movie about how two characters, a man and woman, debated throughout the entire movie whether or not women and men could remain friends without letting sex or love interfere; in the end, the movie proved that it wasn't possible, and that didn't sit well with her.

As the credits began to play, Beca decided to pretend to sleep in order to be sure that Jesse wouldn't try to ask her what she thought about the movie. She didn't want to talk about it, because she didn't want to talk about how this movie paralleled their lives slightly—they were trying to be friends, not letting the _incident_ affect that friendship. She felt his eyes on her face, but she kept her eyes closed and her breathing even. She heard him close the laptop, shifting slightly so that her head fell onto the pillow and off of his shoulders. As he leaned over the bed to put the laptop down on the floor, she rolled over onto her side, facing away from him. She felt the bed shift as he returned to his other position. "Goodnight, Beca," Jesse whispered into Beca's ear. She tried not to squeak in surprise when she felt him curl around her under the blankets, tucking an arm around her waist. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and her eyes flew open, because every time they have shared a bed over the last week, they were careful to leave a lot of space between the two of them. This time, he was _very_ close to her, and it was a little much. But, he was warm, and she could smell soap and the minty scent of his toothpaste (and something else that was most definitely _him_), so she just laid there, allowing him to tuck her more fully against his chest and to tighten his hold on her waist.

* * *

The next time that Beca saw Cole, it was about two weeks after her honeymoon. She knew Chloe well enough after all these years, so she knew the redhead would stop by the condo randomly to see how in love Jesse and she were or to hear again about the honeymoon in Quebec City or to see the pictures, et cetera. So, she didn't get a chance to go out to see Cole for some time. Finally, she scheduled a date with him, a Saturday afternoon lunch date. She met him for dinner at a small diner that she was sure Chloe, Jessica, Stacie, and Amy, or any of Jesse's friends that resided in the LA area, would go to. She smiled at him as she walked through the door, sitting down at his table after pointing him out to a waitress who offered to show her to a booth. They leaned across the table to press a quick kiss to each other's lips, which was all she would allow, claiming that she wasn't a fan of public displays of affection. In reality, it was so she could protect herself, Cole, and Jesse in the event that someone who knew her and Jesse would come across her and Cole.

They ordered their drinks and food from a nice waitress named Tammy, who talked about her kids the entire time she was at their table, saying that her daughter looked almost exactly like Beca, with all of her tattoos and piercings. After they paid their bill and were getting their stuff together to leave, her blood ran cold when she heard, "Oh, my God! Beca, is that you?" She turned around quickly from where she was standing by the table while Cole was pocketing his wallet, and she found herself being pulled into the arms of Chloe's friend, Ella, the non-Bella bridesmaid from Chloe's wedding. "It is you! You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Beca hugged Ella quickly, tucking her left hand behind her back, because, _shit_, she wasn't wearing her rings. They were in her purse. "How are you, Ella?"

"I'm great! I saw all the pictures from the wedding and the bachelorette party that Chloe posted on Facebook. You looked gorgeous in your dress, by the way. You and Jesse looked totally adorable." Cole took a couple of steps forward, smiling down at Beca. "Oh, hi! I'm sorry to interrupt your meal." Ella said, smiling, apparently oblivious to the relationship between Beca and Cole. "Are you one of Beca's clients?"

"We're done! Don't worry, Ella." Beca said quickly, speaking before Cole could respond. "Listen, it was great running into you; you, Chloe, and I should all get dinner soon." Ella nodded her head, grinning.

"I would love that." She gave Beca another hug. "I can't wait to hear all about your trip to...Quebec, right? Give my love to Jesse." She leaned over towards Beca, pretending to tell her a secret behind her hand. "I don't know if he told you, but I totally hit on him at Chloe's wedding, because, my God, that boy is _fine_, but he said he had a girlfriend. I thought it was a nice way of shooting me down, but now I totally understand, because you can tell from all the pictures Chloe posted, he only has eyes for you." Ella waved and wondered off towards a table in the back.

Beca froze, because while she never directly said that Jesse was her husband or that they were together in any capacity at all, but Ella did out Beca's "my roommate Jesse" as a male and not a female, as well as implied that he liked Beca as more than a friend does, and talked about her trip to Canada with him. "What the fuck?" Cole said, and she closed her eyes, turning around.

"I can explain. Before you say anything, let me explain."

"What is there to explain? You liked about Jessie, or rather, _Jesse_ the guy, your roommate. So, what you are living with some guy and decided that you wanted to have some fun with someone else? I mean, you and I never even had sex, so I don't even get the cheating."

"It's not cheating!" She paused. "Well, it is sort of-in the eyes of the law, but not in real life."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She sighed, sticking her hand into her purse and pulling out the rings. She quickly slid them onto her finger.

"Jesse is a friend of mine. He was born in Canada—Quebec City. His work visa ran up, so I married him so that he can stay in the states. The vacation my roommate and I went on was actually what was supposed to be our honeymoon. No one knows but me, Jesse, and two of our friends that this isn't real between us." She said quietly, looking around to make sure that no one could overhear them.

"So, I was your boyfriend, who you're cheating on with your fake husband, but I'm the dirty little secret that no one else can know about? That's bullshit, Beca."

"You're my boyfriend?" She said, shocked. They never talked about that. They had only been dating for like a month and a half, so she didn't realize that meant exclusivity and labels.

"I thought I was. Also, past tense, not present tense. I'm done. I'm done with you. I'm done with this bullshit drama. I don't need it. I'm thirty years old. I want to start looking for someone to commit to and maybe marry, not someone who has committed to someone else-is married to someone else." He stormed past her, and she rushed to keep up with him. They left the diner, and she grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.

"Wait, Cole..." He turned to look at her, and she knew that the words that were going to leave her mouth next were going to hurt him. Nothing would be solved between her and Cole as long as she and Jesse were married, and they weren't getting divorced anytime soon. Besides, she hadn't been aware that they were a couple; she thought that they were just hanging out—a couple of heated make out sessions in his car at the end of a date didn't really qualify as a relationship to her. She had fun with Cole, but she didn't think she felt anything more that for him; she didn't really see him as a boyfriend or potential romantic partner. So, this was going to be the end of them. He looked hopeful, though. This is going to be hard. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I just…please don't tell anyone." He smiled, but it was tight and cold; he shook his head.

"Yeah, don't worry. I will keep your precious secret." She watched as he stormed to his car, getting in and slamming the door behind him. He started it up, backing out of the space, pulling out of the parking lot and out of her life forever.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Beca walked through the door of her condo, feeling miserable, because she hated hurting Cole, and she also lost her outlet—her ability to have fun and forget about all the drama that comes with being married to someone that she was not in love with. "Yes, Mr. Danielson, I understand that these things take time, but, sir…" She heard Jesse on the phone; the name sounded familiar, and she assumed that it was his immigration agent. "Sir, my wife and I were talking about marriage, but we weren't actually planning on getting married as soon as we did, but after finding out that my visa couldn't be renewed, we decided to move everything up." He waited, listening to the other person on the line, and she walked into the living room, dropping onto the couch, watching him as he paced around the living room. He sat down on the couch beside her, sighing quietly to himself, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Please, Mr. Danielson, isn't there anyway that you could put my file to the top of the pile? Beca and I just want to get this interview out of the way and just go back to spending our lives together, not worrying about whether or not I will be sent back to Canada before we even get a chance for an interview."

Beca rested her head against Jesse's shoulder, absentmindedly running her fingers along his stomach. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his breathing and the faint sounds of the other man talking on the phone. She felt him shift when she hit a particularly ticklish spot on his stomach, making her giggle. "Mr. Danielson, I know you are just doing your job. I'm sorry to pressure you, but…" He looked down at her, glaring, when she purposely stroked the spot that got him ticklish again. "Um, I just really want to make sure that I can continue to be with my wife." He said, and, all the while, he continued to look at her. She grinned, winking, mouthing for him to play along.

"Baby," she said quietly, knowing that Danielson would hear it. "Are you almost done with your phone call? There's something I want to show you…upstairs…" She heard Danielson clear his throat over the phone before talking quickly.

"Three weeks from now?" Jesse said, his voice strained, as Beca kissed him loudly on his neck, hoping that the sound carried over to the man on the phone. "August thirteenth. Right, a Tuesday. Okay, ten? We will be there." Beca hummed against his neck, kissing him again loudly. "Right. We will…um…yeah, see you then, Mr. Danielson. Bye!" He said quickly hanging up the phone. He tossed the landline onto the coffee table in front of the couch. "You're evil. You got that poor man all flustered! He could barely string a full sentence together." She shrugged, not really caring.

"It got you off the phone with him, and it got you a date for the interview." She smiled and started to pull away from him, but he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap. She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"That wasn't fair to _me_ either." She shrugged again, too. "What happened to the whole 'we only kiss in front of other people thing,' huh?"

"We sort of did kiss in front of another person. Your immigration agent is now under the impression that we have a healthy sex life." She grinned at him. "What would you like for dinner tonight? I just ate, but I need to go to the food store to pick up food for next week, anyways, so I could grab something in particular for tonight." He rolled his eyes, pulling her against his chest so that her head was tucked under his chin.

"Go later. I am happy, and I wanna to cuddle." She chuckled, rolling her eyes, but she acquiesced, because he was warm and comfortable, and she wasn't all that happy (well, she was about the immigration issue getting squared away for the time being). "How was your _date_ with your boyfriend?" She groaned, burying her face into his chest.

"Let's just say, you are feeling happy and would like to cuddle to celebrate that happiness. I'm feeling unhappy and would like to cuddle to get over it." She muttered.

"What happened? Do I need to beat him up?" She laughed, because there was no way in hell that he had any chance of getting anything more than one surprise punch on Cole.

"No, you don't need to beat him up. If anything, he is probably going to want to beat you up."

"You told him!?" He pushed her away from his chest to look down at her in concern.

"Not because I wanted to! Ella showed up at the diner as we were getting ready to leave. She kept gushing about how cute you and I looked in all the photos that Chloe posted from the wedding, and how she had hit on you and you said that you were seeing someone, who she now realizes was me. Blah blah blah. She never came out and said that we were married or that we were even together, but Cole isn't stupid. He figured it out, so I had to tell him the truth. I didn't want him to think I was really a cheater. I'm not a cheater. At least, not intentionally, considering _someone_ forced me to be a cheater when I didn't know I was being one the only other times I technically fell into that category."

"You told me that you weren't mad about that anymore!" Jesse muttered, squeezing her tighter to his chest. He ran his fingers up and down her arm, giving her shivers and goose bumps. She squirmed in his lap.

"Stop." She pouted when he just laughed. "I'm not…not really." He finally stopped then; instead, he squeezed her upper arm lightly, stroking his thumb along the skin there.

"I'm sorry that he found out. What happened?"

"Well, we ended things." She said, looking away from him. He poked her in her side, and she rolled her eyes. "He thought that we were a couple, and I didn't even _know_ that. He never said, 'be my girlfriend,' or anything like that. He just assumed that we were a couple. He decided that he is at an age where he was looking for a wife and all that, not someone who is already a wife." She rolled her eyes, sighing. "I think I hurt him, 'cause I followed him outside, and I asked him not to tell anyone."

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out between the two of you." He said after a few moments.

"No, you're not." He laughed, pressing his forehead to the top of her head.

"Not at all." She rolled her eyes again. "Is this cuddle session making you feel any better? It is making me feel beyond _awesome_."

"Yeah, I bet it is." She muttered, sighing. "Yes, it's making me feel better, because you are warm and comfortable and I was a fat ass who ate a huge burger _and_ fries _and _a milkshake _and _a piece of chocolate mousse pie, and now I want to nap."

"Let's nap then. We can go to the store in an hour, both of us, and it will be quicker." She nodded her head. "Also, you're not a fat ass. You weigh like five pounds."

"Thank you. My ego has grown to now be a quarter of the size of yours. Keep the compliments coming, and, eventually, it will grow to be the same size as yours."

"Make that a third of the size of mine, because your constant berating of my person has left my self-esteem and self-worth lower than usual." She giggled, closing her eyes.

"Shhh! Nap and cuddle time. Not talking time."

"Wait, let me get comfy." He shifted so that he was lying more on the couch, letting her lie between his legs and use his chest as her pillow. He pulled the throw blanket over them, and soon they both fell asleep.

* * *

"I would get a stomach bug the weekend before we have to go to immigration." Beca moaned, clutching her stomach while lying on her bed, completely miserable. Jesse chuckled from where he was reading a book next to her, running his hand through her hair a few times while she groaned again. "It's not like we can fucking cancel, so now I am stuck feeling nauseous over everything and having to go to the stupid immigration meeting tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry you're feeling bad. We will tell Danielson that you are sick and to keep the trash can accessible. Maybe you can tell him all about how I have been a dutiful husband, holding back your hair as you puke, bringing you a ton of liquids and bland foods, reading to you until you fall asleep, forcing you to watch movies that make you punch me and say horrible things to me, because you are too weak to really do anything about it anyways." He grinned, making her pout and glare at him.

"I hate you." She muttered, raising her arm to smack him in the chest.

"No, you don't." He rolled his eyes, marking the page that they were on before setting the book aside. "C'mere. I will risk my own bout of whatever stomach bug you have to let you cuddle with me. You always feel better when we cuddle." She crinkled her nose as she rolled over, laying her head against his chest. "See!? Who knows his wife? This guy." He said, jabbing a thumb at his chest. She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up." She spat, hugging his waist with her arm and laying her head on his chest. He chuckled softly, running one hand up and down her back and the other along the arm she had draped over his stomach. "Jess, I feel like shit."

"I know. Get some sleep."

"I can't," she whispered, feeling like she was going to die any second. She didn't always feel like shit. Actually, if she was being honest, she woke up on Friday, feeling off; the cream and milk smelled a little off to her and she wanted no coffee/hot chocolate mix, instead choosing to drink a small mug of lemon tea and lots of water. On Saturday, she felt fine, ate a big breakfast and felt outstanding, until Jesse made them quesadillas for lunch, and she got sick in the half-bath off the kitchen. He immediately opened all of the windows to air out the kitchen and brought her a sandwich about an hour later. On Sunday, again, she felt a little off again, but not violently ill. She ate a light breakfast of toast with butter and jelly, even though Jesse offered to make waffles with a ton of fruit and powdered sugar (her usual favorite); she made it through the entire day without feeling like puking, until Sunday night when they were lazy and decided to order Chinese for dinner. That brought them to Monday. Beca went to work feeling kind of okay, just a little run down and irritable, which she thought was actually pretty normal, but when one of her coworkers started eating tuna salad, she threw up in the break room's trashcan. She called Jesse to come pick her up from work (he was working from home for the week, coming up with ideas for a new movie BioTerra was producing), and he brought her home, where she got sick again when she smelled that he made a grilled cheese for lunch. She hated feeling like this, and it wasn't regular. She had no idea when she was going to get sick; it wasn't like a normal stomach bug or flu.

"What do you need me to do? Do you want me to get you some water? Do you need a cold compress? Do you want me to shower in case my cologne is making you feel gross? Do you want me to get you a bath going?" He suggested, running the hand that was on her arm through her hair. "What would make you feel better?" She shrugged, feeling exhausted and miserable.

"You smell good." She said after a few moments. "You don't need to shower. You aren't making me feel sick." She told him. "I don't know. All of that sounds great, but you're warm and you make a really awesome pillow, and I want someone here to complain to about how awful I feel, and all of those things take you away from me, so no to all of it." She whined, making him laugh. "Sing to me?"

"You want me to sing?" He asked her, shocked. She nodded her head. "What do you want me to sing?"

"Doesn't matter." She said with her eyes closed.

"Okay, I will sing then," he said after a few moments. He was quiet for awhile, and, for a second, she thought that he wasn't actually going to sing something, but then he did, and the sound of his voice, vibrating through his chest in one ear and the sound of his voice coming from his mouth going in the other, it immediately calmed her and she felt like she could actually get some sleep.

"_I know, girl, when you look at me  
You don't know how I feel  
Cause I'm usually so nonchalant  
My feelings I conceal  
But, I want you to know  
Oh, I want you to know_

"_I must admit I've felt this way for more than quite a while  
But I can't hold it no longer when I see that pretty smile  
Can't wait no more  
Oh, I can't wait no more _

"_Girl, to tell you the truth  
It's always been you  
I'm all about you  
Oh, girl  
No one can do me the way you do  
It's always been you  
I'm all about you."_

He paused, and she opened an eye. This wasn't the song that she was expecting him to sing, at all. She wondered why he chose it. Before he could start the next verse of the song, she decided to make a joke.

"You seem to have an obsession with Bruno Mars," Beca said, raising her head to look at him. Jesse smiled softly, shrugging his shoulder. "Are you gay? Am I your beard?"

"It's a love song about a girl—how does that make me gay?"

"But, there are a lot of other songs you could have chosen, and you chose another song by Bruno Mars."

"I like Bruno Mars. Normally, when I sing his music to a woman, it results in her throwing off all her clothes and ravaging me." He told her with a very serious expression his face, but she could tell he was joking (right?). She rolled her eyes, trying to not laugh at him.

"Are you saying you're trying to get me into bed with you? Newsflash, nerd; I'm already in bed with you."

"That you are." He said quietly.

"Do you like to have sex with women who are sick? That's a little weird…just saying."

"I'm sure that it would make you forget all about how sick you are feeling and make you feel _really_ good, but I would rather sleep with you when you're willing and eager to be with me, and not because of those two reasons." She snorted slightly at his 'willing and eager' comment, but didn't let herself fully laugh, because what he was really saying finally sunk in.

"You want to have sex with me?" She asked him after a few moments. She was daring him to tell her the truth; she knew that he did, because she had spent enough time sleeping in a bed with him and waking up to his very aroused state from having her wrapped up in his arms, and because of his reactions to their kisses or when he saw her in small amounts of clothing. She just wasn't sure if he would actually say it to her.

"Oh, c'mon, Beca. You _know_ that I'm attracted to you. Just like I know _you're_ attracted to me, too." He paused, laying his hand over her left hand that was draped across his stomach. He played with the rings there. "I also know that neither one of us are going to act on those feelings anytime soon."

"We're not." She meant it as a statement, but it came out more as a question. He looked at her for a few moments, studying her face, looking for something. She was sure that he was looking for a sign that she was interested in having sex with him, but as well as he seemed to be able to read her, she found it impossible to be able to read him.

"No, neither one of us is willing to jeopardize what we have here." He said after a few moments, looking away from her.

"What is that?"

"You're my best friend, Beca. I'm forever grateful to you for doing this for me, for agreeing to marry me so that I can stay in the U.S." He paused again, still refusing to look at her. "You also have a huge fear of commitment, and I know that if were to change what we have—even to something that was purely sexual—you would bolt."

Fuck you, Beca thought as she pulled away from him. She hated having her issues with trust and commitment shoved in her face, like it made her a bad person. Jesse didn't let her go far, though, because he followed her. She was facing away from him, staring out the window at the pretty summer day. It was hot outside, but the condo was cool from the air conditioning. Jesse wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her until she was flush against his back. He was leaning over her slightly, resting all of his weight on his one forearm. "I'm not saying that you're not worth it or anything, Beca, because you are. You're an amazing person, and any guy would be lucky to have you, but I have to be smart and selfish here. You and I can't start having sex and then stop having sex with each other, going back to being just friends who are married for two years. It doesn't work that way, because you know as well as I do, feelings get involved, which is why you end things before there is a chance that there are any feelings. Our situation is far too complicated. Believe me when I say that I would turn you over right now and have my way with you if I thought that it wouldn't complicate things, but it will, so I won't. Besides, any sex that I will have with the woman that I married to be out of the love we share for one another. You might think I'm corny for saying that, but it is true. I think that marriage is like the ultimate expression of love two people can have, and that makes sex all the more meaningful."

The entire time he was talking, she felt like shit, because she knew he was right. She did feel attracted to him, but she knew that she would bolt the second things started to seem real, and having sex would make things seem way more real than they had pretending it was. She also knew that she wouldn't be able to go back to not having sex with him—not knowing that part of him—but still be his friend, his roommate, his _wife_; it would be too much, and she would feel the itch to run again, which would result in him not getting his permanent green card. She sighed, rolling over to face him.

"Okay." She said. He nodded his head, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead. She closed her eyes as his lips grazed her skin, and she tried to ignore the tingles that spread throughout her body; she couldn't let them give in to their attraction to each other, because it was sexual and it would ruin everything. She couldn't lose her best friend.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked, and she nodded her head. "Still want to nap?"

"Actually, I think I'm gonna take a shower." She wanted to be alone now, and he seemed to sense it. He nodded his head, pressing one final kiss to her forehead. He rolled away from her and climbed off her bed. He gave a small wave before he walked out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind him. The click of it shutting made her jump, because it seemed so _loud_ in the now empty room. She rolled over, laying in the bed and staring at the ceiling for some time. His last few sentences were swirling around in her mind. She did think he was kind of corny for saying that sex with his wife when they were in love was meaningful, et cetera, but, at the same time, she felt her stomach churn at the idea of him with another woman, sharing that meaningful experience. She rationalized it as being caught up in the idea of being attracted to him sexually and being his friend, wanting to protect him from someone who might hurt him. That was the only explanation that there could be, right? After a while, she pulled herself from the bed, stripping off her clothes and then walking into the bathroom, ready to shower away all of the nausea and confusion she was feeling.

* * *

The next day, Beca felt okay enough that she hoped that she would make it through the interview without throwing up all over everywhere. The two of them took the day off, heading to the interview, feeling confident that they could make it through the interview and still be seen as a legitimate couple. When they got into the meeting, she made it known to Danielson that she wasn't feeling well and might have to excuse herself to go to the restroom.

"That's fine, Mrs. Swanson." Mr. Danielson said as he waved a hand at the chairs. "We're going to start with going over some of the paperwork, like reviewing the marriage license, et cetera, and then we are going to ask you to leave, Mr. Swanson, so we can interview your wife. Then, we will interview him, comparing your answers. We will let you know as soon as possible what the results of the interviews are. You will receive official notice in the mail, but at the end of the interviews, we will give you an idea of what to expect in the official notice."

"Will we receive that within the next week and a half? That is all we have left, Mr. Danielson; we have until the first of September, officially," Beca asked, grabbing Jesse's hand, pretending that she was so scared that this is what would happen.

"I am not sure when exactly that will happen, Mrs. Swanson, but I will do my best to make sure everything is finalized for you by then. Let's hope that the results are in your favor." She nodded her head, and she could tell that Danielson was still slightly suspicious that they are really together. She hoped that she could play this the right way in order to not put the two of them at risk.

"Um, I have a copy of a marriage license here." She pulled out two manila folders from her bag, one the typical beige-tan color, the other blue. "The blue folder contains all of the original documents, such as our marriage license and other shared paperwork. The tan folder contains copies for you to keep." She handed both folders to Mr. Danielson. She was going to take lead on this, because she had a way of bitching at people and getting them to do what she wanted, which helped in her career—making artists do what she wanted (examples being speeding up a song or slowing it down, or changing a rhythm, et cetera). "I admit that Jesse and I only began living together in April of this year, so we only have a few months' worth of shared paperwork. We had planned on living together for at least a year prior to getting married, but we moved the wedding up when we realized that he was incapable of extending his work visa. However, I have plenty of other proof that we have known each other for the last three years, as well as our relationship from the last year." She smiled at Danielson as he perused the folder with the original documentation in it. "We have our latest mortgage statement with both of our names on it, as well as joint bills, a joint savings account, and a credit card statement."

While Danielson was busy looking at the documents in the folder, Jesse turned and widened his eyes at Beca, who responded with a wink before turning her focus back on the immigration agent. "Alright, this all looks pretty good, so I would like to start the interview now, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson," he said, handing the blue folder back to her, and she immediately returned it to her oversized purse. "Mr. Swanson, Mrs. Carter will take you into the waiting room." She nodded her head before turning to Jesse. She pressed a kiss to his lips.

"See you soon." She told him, and he nodded before heading out of the room, following a middle-aged woman who stood in the doorway.

"Mrs. Swanson, I would like you to state your full name and birth date." She took a deep breath.

"My full name is Rebeca, with one 'c,' Charlotte Swanson. My maiden name was Mitchell. I was born on January 19, 1986."

"Please tell me your husband full name and birth date." He said, after he quickly wrote something down on a pad of paper in front of him.

"His name is Jesse Gabriel Swanson. He was born on November 4, 1985."

"When and where did you meet Jesse?"

"I met him in June of 2010. We were at a party being held by our mutual friends. My best friend, Chloe Beale, now Wharton, was dating his friend Dean Wharton. Um, Dean's nickname is Hat. Jesse calls Dean Hat all the time, so he might not remember to call him Dean." She chewed on her bottom lip. Danielson took a few moments to write down her response.

"Would you please describe this meeting for me?"

"Chloe and Dean hosted a party to celebrate their moving in with each other. They invited a lot of their old friends from college. They thought that Jesse and I would get along with each other pretty well, so they had us sit next to each other at dinner. We did hit it off, and we hung out for most of the party." She bit her lip. "Um, he might not tell you this, because it is kind of embarrassing, for _me_ more than him, but he and I wound up getting really drunk and we wound up making out. I was really drunk, and I got sick all over his shoes." She smiled, rolling her eyes.

"And, you still wound up getting together?"

"Not right away. We agreed to meet for dinner the next night. He said that it was only fair of me to make it up to him by going out with him. So, we met up the next night for dinner."

"How did that go?"

"Um, we went out to dinner." She shrugged. "It was Italian food. I'm not sure what restaurant." She chewed on her lip, as if trying to remember something that happened three years before. "We had a great time, talked about a lot about our jobs and interests, favorite bands and musicians, et cetera. He drove me home to my old apartment, and we kissed each other good night. The next day, he got on a plane and went back to New York City."

"Did you guys exchange phone numbers?" Danielson asked as he wrote down her answer. She shook her head.

"No, we became friends on Facebook before the date that night, but we didn't exchange numbers until the engagement party. Well, we both had access to the other's numbers via our Facebook pages, but we just never really used them until after we got together." She crinkled her nose. "I didn't think to bring copies of our cell phone bills." She shrugged.

"Tell me about your relationship. How did it begin?" She bit her lip, taking a breath before she began telling the story that she and Jesse had come up with.

"We had a few false starts over the years, Mr. Danielson; Chloe and Dean were so sure that we were perfect for each other, so we were constantly pushed together during group events that they were throwing, and somehow Chloe convinced our friends Fat Amy and Bumper to do the same for us. Bumper—his first name is John—and Fat Amy—her first name is actually Patricia, but for some reason, she likes to go by Fat Amy—met at the same party that Jesse and I met at. They started dating, because they both live here in LA, and then they got married. Anyways, in April of 2012, Chloe and Dean got engaged and had an engagement party; Jesse was there, and he was talking about how he was interested in moving to LA to try and find a job actually composing scores for movies and shows. We decided that we would give it a shot now, because he was looking into moving to LA."

"When did Jesse move to LA?"

"He found a job in December of 2012, and he subletted an apartment here; it was a four-month sublet. We decided that we were going to get a place together after his sublet was up and my lease finished up, which would be around the time of Chloe and Dean's wedding."

"Tell me about your decision to get married. Where were you? When did it happen? What were you doing? All of those details." She took a deep breath.

"Well, at first I didn't really want to get married. Jesse's kind of like my first real relationship, you know? I have issues relating to trust and commitment, so I went into my relationship with Jesse being so sure that it was going to fail. I told him that we couldn't tell anyone at first, until we were sure it was real and it was serious, because I didn't want to deal with Chloe's 'I told you so.' We were both in Chloe and Dean's wedding parties, and since we were doing all of the stuff that came with that, we decided to have a frank conversation about our relationship, where we both saw it going, what our thoughts were about living together and marriage, and if we could actually see being married with the other person. We decided that we weren't ready for it at the time, but we decided to move in with each other first. So, we were living together for like one month, and we threw a big housewarming party at our condo, and Jesse proposed. I could have killed him, because I'm so _not_ the romantic, big gestures type of girl, and he got all of his old friends from college who were in his a cappella group to sing backup for him, and he sang Bruno Mars' _Marry You_ to me and then proposed in front of all our friends. It was _mortifying_, Mr. Danielson; we had been barely together for a year, barely living together for one month, and here he is singing to me in front of everyone and then dropping to his knee and asking me to marry him." She rolled her eyes. "A huge part of me wanted to run, because this was exactly the kind of thing that would freak me out, but then I thought about how sweet he is with me, how he is my best friend first and was boyfriend second, and I decided that if there was anyone I could see myself marrying, it would be him, so I said yes." She blew out a breath.

"So, you lived together only for a few months before your wedding?"

"Yes, from April twenty-second until June twenty-fifth; it was a short engagement, because we knew that he had to go back to Canada. I know that if we didn't have to worry about this whole immigration issue, we would have wound up being engaged for longer. I guess this is the perfect way to actually get someone with commitment and trust issues down the aisle, Mr. Danielson, because I was so busy planning the wedding and then it was suddenly time to actually get married that I didn't have time to really freak out and second guess it." She shrugged.

The interview continued in much of the same way. Beca answered the questions to the best of her ability, but she knew that there was no way that even the realest of couples wouldn't be able to answer all of the questions perfectly. There were a couple of moments when she had to say that she didn't "remember" the answer to a question, and Danielson didn't look suspicious, so she thought that things were going pretty well. Then, things changed.

"So, Mrs. Swanson, which side of the bed do you sleep on?"

"The left."

"This means that Mr. Swanson sleeps on the right side of the bed."

"No." She laughed at the confused expression on the man's face. "He primarily sleeps directly in the center of the bed, so either he pulls me to sleep on his left side towards the center of the bed, or he winds up sleeping on the left side with me, and the only way that I stay in the bed is because he has an arm or a leg wrapped around me." That literally happened during their honeymoon. Their friends had all put money in to get them a really great honeymoon suite for their week in Quebec City rather than buying them presents, so they were kind of forced to share a bed for about two weeks. One of the nights, Beca woke up to find she was lying on the very edge of the bed, with one of her legs hanging off of it, the only thing keeping her on the bed was Jesse's arm that was wrapped around her waist, and his leg tucked over her leg that was still on the bed. She nudged him, and when he woke up, he jerked his arm and leg off of her, and she nearly fell out of the bed, but he grabbed her quickly enough to stop it from happening. Seriously, that boy had to be part cat with the reflexes he had. He laughed his ass off at that, and she punched him in the stomach, making him gasp for air. He made sure to stay on the right side of the bed the rest of the night, and she couldn't help but feel cold and…weird…without having him lying right beside her; it was the first night that they hadn't fallen asleep in each other's arms since slightly before they were married.

"So, Mrs. Swanson, the next question might leave you feeling uncomfortable." She raised an eyebrow. Her stomach was churning, and she was hoping that this interview was going to be done soon, because she wasn't feeling well at all. She pressed a hand to her forehead, finding that it was clammy. She gripped her stomach with one arm and tried to focus on Danielson. "What kind of birth control do you and Mr. Swanson use?" She looked up sharply at the man, pressing a hand to her mouth, because she felt like she was going to get sick any second; she didn't know if it was because of what that question made her realize or because she was already feeling sick. "Mrs. Swanson? Are you alright?"

"I'm gonna get sick!" She stood up and ran out of the room, rushing towards the bathroom, ignoring the calls from Danielson and Jesse. She rushed into the bathroom, pushing open the nearest empty stall and collapsed to her knees. She began heaving into the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach, tears pouring down her face. She felt someone come up behind her, rubbing her back and pulling her hair from her face.

"I'm here, Becs." She heard Jesse's voice, and she cried harder. When she finally finished empty her stomach and stopped heaving, she groaned, pressing her face into her hands. She was crying hard. He pulled her against his chest, running a hand through her hair, and whispering into the top of her head that she was okay now. _Shit_! The only thing that was stampeding through her mind at that moment was: did they use a condom when they had sex? She didn't think that they did, and they never talked about birth control—or whether or not she was on the pill (she wasn't; she used to, but she kept forgetting to take it and it made her feel bloated and she gained weight when she took it, so she stopped using it). _Fuck_! Was she pregnant?

Beca knew that she had to tell Jesse, but she knew that she had to find out the truth before she told him her suspicions. Maybe she just had a weird stomach bug, but she hates being sick, so she is forcing her body to not recognize the symptoms. Besides, she had her period the last few months. Well, it was lighter than normal, light spotting and lasting like three days. She thought it was just the stress that came with having to plan a wedding and the impending immigration interview and all the drama that two of them had between them since the _incident_. The fucking _incident_. Plus, she wasn't getting sick, until now. If she did her math right, it was a little under three months since they had sex, so she should have been getting sick before now, right? _Fuck_, was this morning sickness? What the hell kind of name is morning sickness when it happened all throughout the day? She groaned again. "You're okay." Jesse said, making her jump, remembering that he was there.

"Jesse, this is the women's bathroom." She told him, pulling away from him to wipe her mouth with a piece of toilet paper.

"I know, but you were sick, and I was worried about you. I thought you were okay today. It's been four days. You should go to the doctor, Becs, to find out what is going on."

"Yeah, I'm gonna call as soon as I can." She told him, not daring to look at his face.

"Hey, you're gonna be okay. It's probably just a stomach bug or maybe you have an ulcer or something."

"Oh, nothing too serious, just a burning hole in my stomach." She said, shrugging and rolling her eyes at him.

"That is the spirit! C'mon, we better get out of here." She nodded her head, taking his hand to let him help her get up. She flushed the toilet and went to rinse out her mouth. She was pretty sure she had some gum in her bag, which was in Danielson's office. She wiped at the smudged eyeliner beneath her eyes. She then pulled her hair back into a ponytail, hoping that she looked presentable again. "You look great. Don't worry." He took her hand in his, leading her from the bathroom. He led her back towards where Danielson and the woman who had escorted him out of the room earlier were standing with their arms crossed.

"Sorry, Mr. Danielson; I have been really sick lately, and I thought I was going to make it through the interview without getting sick."

"That's quite alright, Mrs. Swanson. I think that our portion of the interview is finished now. Why don't you take a seat in the waiting room while I interview Mr. Swanson?" She nodded her head, heading into the room to grab her bag, leaving behind the oversized envelope of pictures that she and Jesse had compiled as support for their relationship. She walked into the waiting area, smiling gratefully at—Mrs. Carter?—the woman who handed her a paper cup of water. While she waited for Jesse to finish his interview, she closed her eyes and listened to her music on her cell phone through her headphones.

Even though the chair was uncomfortable, Beca must have fallen asleep, because she jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She found that Jesse was crouching at her side, smiling softly at her. He pressed a hand to her forehead, checking to see if she had a fever. "Hey, how ya feeling?" She shrugged, pulling the headphones from her ears as she turned off the music.

"Doesn't matter. How'd it go?"

"It does matter. How are you feeling, Beca?" She sighed.

"I'm feeling a lot better. I'm actually kind of hungry." He nodded his head, standing up and extending hand to her. He grabbed the bag from her arms after he helped her stand up, shoving the envelope of pictures inside it, taking her hand in his. As they walked out the door, with Beca grabbing her bag back from Jesse, she looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "How'd it go in there?"

"Well, he said that he can't tell me the official results yet, but he said that we did a really great job proving that we are a happily married, in love couple. I think me running into the ladies' room after you when you got sick was what helped solidify that opinion he had. By the way," he glanced around them to make sure no one was nearby, grinning at her when he returned his gaze towards her. "I nearly laughed aloud when he asked a question about food preferences. I talked about your favorite sundae and your aversion to tomatoes unless in sauce or salsa form." She nodded her head, because she made sure to say those things, because she knew that Jesse would remember those preferences over any others she may have. "You said you were hungry. What were you thinking? Did you want to go get something to eat or would you like to go home? I think that we should go home, because I don't want you to get sick again."

"I'm fine, but I want to go home, too. Can we get some fettuccini Alfredo to-go?" She asked, craving pasta. He looked at her like she was crazy as they climbed into their car (hers, but he was driving).

"Seriously? Isn't that a little heavy?" She shrugged, not caring, because she really wanted to eat that.

"I'm really craving pasta, but really don't want a marinara sauce or a meat sauce; I just really don't want any tomato today. I just want a creamy Alfredo sauce. Please?" He rolled his eyes, nodding his head.

"Why don't I run into the food store and grab a jar of sauce?"

"I want fresh sauce."

"I can make us fresh sauce." She thought about it.

"Okay," she smiled at him. She rested her head back on the seat, just enjoying the nice day (which wasn't _that_ hot, surprisingly), listening to Jesse hum along with the radio and occasional mutters about how she was crazy. She kept thinking about how she needed to find out if she was pregnant, because if she was already two and a half months along. She was going to start showing soon, and she couldn't exactly hide that from him. California wasn't exactly the best state to hide a pregnancy from someone under baggy clothing. She couldn't wear sweatshirts all of the time. It wouldn't make sense, especially not in the summer. She took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly, because this wasn't part of the plan. She _couldn't_ be pregnant. This wasn't supposed to be real between her and Jesse, and a baby was as real as it could get.

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**Author's Note: Congrats, **TrainofThough15** – you so called it after chapter five. Let me know what you all think of this chapter (and plot development)!**


	9. Chapter 9

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Song Recommendation: **_**You're Having my Baby**_** by Paul Anka ft. Odia Coates **

**Author's Note: I do not plan on actually using this song or its lyrics, but it is a great song, and I reference it in this chapter, so if you have never actually heard this song, you should listen to it so that you can understand the reference. I have a Twitter! It's BittyAB18. Follow me, and tweet me that you're a fan of my stories, and I will follow back!  
**

* * *

The doctor's office didn't open for another forty-five minutes, but that was one of the perks of being friends with the wife of her gynecologist. It was weird at first when she found out that her gynecologist was dating one of her good friends from college, but the three of them quickly got over it. She opened the door, smiling at the nurses that were getting ready for the day. "Miss, we aren't open yet." One of the nurses said when she looked up from behind the desk.

"She's here to see me, Margaret." Dr. Brian Keller, also known as Jessica's husband, said as he walked down the hallway. He smiled at Beca. "Hey, why don't you c'mon back?" She nodded her head, following him down the hallway to one of the examination rooms. He gestured that she sit down on the table. "So, what's going on? Why did you ask me to see you this morning?"

She took a deep breath, staring at her hands in her lap. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, wow! Beca, that's great!" Brian said, standing up to give her a hug. When she didn't hug him back, he took a step back. "This is great, isn't it?" She looked up at him then, because this was going to ruin the perfect image of the Swanson union. She needed to fix this, _fast_.

"Yes, no, I don't know! Did you ever really peg me as the motherly type?"

"I never had you pegged as the married type, let alone the motherly type." He laughed, and she gave him a look that said, _exactly_. "But, then I saw you and Jesse together at your housewarming party, and you looked so happy with each other. And, that proposal! You guys are perfect for each other." She chewed on her bottom lip, staring down at her hands in her lap. She hated when people said they were perfect together, because they _weren't_. They were better off as friends. Except, if she was pregnant, now they would be tied together for the rest of their lives to a baby; it made the whole situation so much more complicated. "I saw happy you guys were around the wedding in New York. People change, Beca. I look at you now, and I _know _you're the married type. If you're pregnant, you will become the motherly type, too. Jesse's gonna be ridiculously excited. I distinctly remember something about the inevitability of children?" She rolled her eyes.

"It's just that it seems so soon. We've only been together for like a year, Brian."

"Okay, so it's a little quick, but that doesn't mean that it is going to ruin anything between you two."

"How do you know?"

"Because I can tell that that Jesse is madly in love with you every time he looks at you." She closed her eyes, because that was all _fake_. "And, I can see it when you look at him." She crinkled her nose, because she was proud of herself for being a good actress. They needed everyone to think that.

"Alright, let's get this process started, Mommy." She suppressed her groan, but he saw her grimace, because he chuckled. He opened her file and grabbed a pen to take some notes. He spent the next thirty minutes questioning her about her medical history and as much about Jesse's as she knew (which wasn't much, but she did make sure that she asked some questions about his health and broken bones he had as a child, in case the immigration agent asked such questions—she didn't know what to expect during that interview). "Did you take a home test?"

She nodded her head. The day before she had bought a home test from the store on her way to work; she had taken it in the bathroom, and it came back as positive. "Yesterday. I didn't exactly notice that I might have been pregnant until I got sick last weekend."

"Okay, tell me about your symptoms?"

"Well, I have been tired lately, I've been nauseous lately, but other than that, I've been fine."

"When was the first day of your last period?"

"I've had my period every month, except this month and, well, the month before that was a couple of days later than usual. I'm like a week late now, but I know exactly when I would have gotten pregnant. Jesse and I didn't use protection about three months ago."

"What do you mean?" Brian frowned at Beca. "You can't have your period if you're pregnant. It is normal to have light bleeding around the time of implantation, which is generally why women think that they have their period around ten or so days after conception. Your body also sends additional blood to your cervix, so it is common to see some light bleeding during or after sex or pelvic exams. Would you say that these are what you noticed? Would you say that you are experiencing more severe cramping, such as in the lower abdominal-pelvic region? What about sharp abdominal pains? Maybe pain in your shoulder?"

That was a lot of information. Well, yeah, the first period she would have had after she and Jesse had sex was lighter than normal, pretty much spotting. The next period she would have had was actually a little later than usual; it should have come around the end of her honeymoon, but she didn't get it until a few days after they got back. Now that she thinks about it, it was right around the time that she tested out some of the toys the girls got her for her honeymoon—she never used a vibrator before, so she was a little heavy-handed with it the first time. Could that be what caused what she thought was a period? "Um, they've been lighter than usual…" She said. "None of that other stuff. What is all that a sign of? Plus, what does shoulder pain have to do with pregnancy?"

"It's good that it isn't the other stuff. Those kinds of symptoms are indications of either miscarriage or ectopic pregnancies. The shoulder pain, especially when lying down, relates to the irritated nerves from internal bleeding that comes from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy." She blew out a breath, because pregnancy was seriously scary. Ectopic pregnancies? Miscarriages? Internal bleeding? "Oh, dear. I've upset you. I'm sure you and the baby are fine. Let me take some blood for the blood test, and then we will get started on the examinations."

"Blood test?" She hated needles. "Isn't there another way to test whatever?"

"Well, we have to do blood tests occasionally throughout pregnancy, especially right now, to test your human growth hormone levels, which is the pregnancy hormone, as well as to see if your anemic, for example, or at risk for gestational diabetes, et cetera. It will be over in a few minutes. So, you think you're about three months along?"

"I can tell you the exact date that Jesse and I would have conceived. It was May twenty-sixth. The day after the proposal."

"Okay, we determine the due date for pregnancy from the first day of your last menstrual cycle. When was that?"

"May thirteenth."

"Okay, then. That would put you at thirteen weeks, already beginning the second trimester." He did some calculations, looking up at her with a smile on his face. "The due date would be around February seventeenth. Let me take some blood, and then we can start the exams."

Shit, she was already in her second trimester. She thought that they judged pregnancy by the day you got pregnant, not before that. Is it not healthy that her baby didn't get prenatal care during the first three months? "Is it okay? Will the baby be hurt?"

"I'm sure the baby is fine, Beca." He said as he took the blood. He labeled it and set it aside, ready to send out for testing. "Time for the physical exam." He proceeded to weigh her, take her blood pressure, check her lungs, and heart. "Look at that. You've gained about three pounds." Brian grinned.

"Is that okay? Should it be more?"

"Beca, calm down. You're doing fine. You were small, and it looks like you're one of the lucky ones to stay small during pregnancy, but we shall see what happens as you get farther in your pregnancy. I'm going to need a urine sample, as well, and then have you change into the gown so that I can check your breasts and give you the pelvic and the bimanual internal exams."

"I'm not sure how happy my husband will be that you're getting fresh with me, Brian. He might decide he has to beat you up." She joked as he walked to the door.

"Does Jesse know that I'm your gynecologist?"

"No, I've only said that I was going to a gynecologist around him." That was a fib, sort of. The first time he insisted on giving her a movication, the night they first met, and she said she would rather visit a gynecologist. She just never said that a good friend of hers married the gynecologist.

"The first prenatal appointment that he's at is gonna be really awkward, huh?" He walked out the door.

After she got the urine sample for him, leaving it beside the blood, she got undressed and climbed onto the table after putting the gown on. A few minutes later, Brian returned, checking her breasts and performing the two vaginal exams, which was not fun at all. Beca had been having sex regularly for the last twelve years, and it still sucked to get a PAP smear.

"So, there are a few optional tests that you might want to get done. There is the nuchal fold test, which screens for Down syndrome. When you do this test, I use the ultrasound to look at the back of the baby's neck. If the test is positive, then my advice is for you to get a CVS or an early amniocentesis test, which is when I would use an ultrasound to guide a needle through your stomach and into your uterus, avoiding contact with the placenta and the baby. These tests would also determine your baby's risk for other genetic diseases. There is a small risk, about one to two percent, that miscarriage occurs with the use of amniocentesis and CVS."

"I'm fine with the nuchal fold test, but I don't want to do the amniocentesis test until I know the results of that test or until I talk to Jesse about it. I'm afraid of putting the baby at risk."

"Alright, I'm gonna step out, so why don't you get redressed, and then we can get started on the ultrasound. Knock on the door when you're done."

The moment he left, she carefully stood up (she was always slightly unsteady after a PAP smear) and redressed. She knocked on the door, and she climbed onto the table. Brian and one of his nurses rolled the ultrasound machine into the room. He directed the woman to take her samples with her, rattling off a list of tests that they should be tested for. Then, he turned to Beca. "Let's look at your baby." He raised her shirt and unbuttoned her jeans. He squirted a cool gel onto her stomach and placed the Doppler against her stomach. A loud thawping sound filled the room, and Beca smiled, because that was her baby's heartbeat. She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to stop herself from crying. This was all so overwhelming, and she really never expected to be in this position. Part of her wished that Jesse was there with her, holding her hand, hearing their baby. Fuck, it was so weird to say that. _Their_ baby.

Brian talked about how it appeared that the baby's nuchal fold test was negative, which was good news. They would know for sure later on, if she were to get the amniocentesis done. "So, here's your baby's head, body, and the limbs." He said, pointing at the screen. She looked at the 3D picture, kind of shocked, because she was expecting one of those black and gray things that was hard to read.

"Can you see what it is yet? A boy or a girl?"

"Nope, not yet. Let me take a picture for you and get you a DVD copy of the ultrasound, too. Then, we can figure out when you should next come in." He messed around with the machine for a few minutes, and then handed her a towel so that she could clean up her stomach. Once she was cleaned up, her pants re-buttoned, and her shirt pulled down, he pulled out an appointment book. "Since you're so late in your pregnancy already, I would like to see you in three weeks, at your sixteenth week. We will look at your fundal growth, which is when I measure how large your stomach is growing from about your breastbone to your lower pelvis with a tape measure. Then, that you would come in for your twenty-week ultrasound, which is when we measure your baby's limbs, look at the spine, the brain, et cetera, and when we will definitely be able to tell what the sex of the baby is. That is probably the most exciting part."

"Will I still be sick?"

"Some mom's get morning sickness during the second trimester, which appears to have been what happened for you this week, but others find this trimester to be the best. It is possible that you will continue to have morning sickness, so I recommend that you keep crackers, apple sauce, water, and/or ginger ale on you at all times, which I have heard help with the nausea. One thing that is likely for sure will be an increased sexual desire, and once you start gaining more weight, we will have to talk about changing sexual positions that are better for you and baby." She blushed, which was not something she usually did when it came to conversations about sex. "Alright, we're done here. I will see you in three weeks, Beca. Don't forget to tell that hubby of yours I said congrats! If you have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to call the office or even my cell."

"Um, can you not tell Jessica?" Brian frowned, studying Beca.

"I would never talk about my patients with her."

"I just meant that I want to tell Jesse first," she paused. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be, especially considering they had only been married for a little over a month (and they had only been friends for a few more than that). "Since we didn't exactly get the first trimester to, um, celebrate together, I don't know when we will decide to tell anyone."

"I get it. You guys let us all know when you're ready. I'll see you in a couple of weeks, Beca."

When Beca got home from work later that night, Jesse pulled her into a huge hug and spun her around in a circle. For a second, she was in shock, because…did he find the pregnancy test? She thought she did a good job of hiding that thing at in its box and shoving it in the back of the drawer in her end table. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but he talked right over her…or rather, _yelled_ over her. "I HAVE THE BEST NEWS EVER!" He shouted, dropping her to her feet and pressing a huge kiss to her lips. Her eyebrows probably disappeared into her hairline, because they rose so high. "Sorry, but I'm just so fucking EXCITED! Phil, my boss, just told me that I get to be lead on a small film being produced by BioTerra! This is my shot, Becs! I couldn't wait to tell you! I want to celebrate with you, but I actually have a dinner meeting with the director and the producer, so I gotta go, but I promise we will celebrate soon, okay? Like, I'm not sure when, though. I will make time, though! I swear. Fuck, I'm so excited!" He pulled her into a hug again before releasing her and grabbing his messenger bag from where he had it lying just inside the front door. "Bye!"

"Bye!? Congrats." She said, watching him rush from the house towards his car. She bit her lip, watching him grin and wave excitedly from behind the wheel as he started the car. "I have some big news, too. I'm pregnant." She whispered, watching as he drove away.

* * *

Unfortunately, Jesse was serious when he said he wasn't sure when they would celebrate. For the next five weeks, he was leaving early and working late, even working weekends. Beca hardly ever saw him aside for five minutes in the hallway when she was headed to bed officially, and he was just coming in officially for the night. He spent pretty much all of his time at studio, composing or watching scenes from the film to get a feel for them in order to compose for them. That wasn't exactly the way that she wanted to tell him that she was pregnant. So, she was keeping this huge secret from him, and she was miserable about it. The longer she waited to tell him, the more difficult it would be, she knew. Plus, he might think that she was trying to keep it from him. That definitely wasn't the case at all. She needed him to know, because she didn't know what it meant for them. She didn't know if she could be a mom. She knew that she was going to have to take lamas classes or something, and it would have been nice to have her husband there to help her. She had no idea how to raise a baby; he had watched a shit ton of movies over the year. He had to have an idea of the dos and don'ts of parenting, right?

To make matters worse, just after her eighteenth week mark, her stomach seemed to balloon over night. Before, she could get away with wearing her "fat jeans" and sweatpants and yoga pants without showing too much, but now that she gained about nine pounds, she had a nice little bubble on her lower abdomen. She was so sure that people could tell by looking at her, but no one said anything or stared at her stomach or anything like that. Her boobs also grew some, no longer fully fitting in her B-cups, but not big enough to be in C-cups yet. She went out on Sunday, hating that she had to go to a maternity store. All of the women there were so perky and happy and so fucking annoying. Plus, everything was _pink_. She wasn't into pink. She finally settled for a couple of navy blue, gray, white, dark purple, and forest green shirts, a lot of comfortable black pants, a couple of pairs of pregnant-lady jeans, and a couple of maxi-dresses that were flattering and hid her belly for the time being. She got some new bras that were specific for pregnant women, because her breasts were killing her, and all of her old bras were torture. Seriously, if she could be topless all of the time, she totally would, because her nipples were beyond _sensitive_ and painful.

Brian was right when he said that her sex drive would increase, too. She was thankful that her belly wasn't big enough at this point to keep her from using the toys that the girls had bought for her, because seriously, she wanted anything that moved at this point. She was beyond horny, and it was actually fucking annoying how much her body wanted Jesse in the couple of moments that she had seen him over the last few weeks. She felt like Stacie, who referred to her vagina as a dude, because, _shit_, she was horny all of the time; this baby was a total freak, because it apparently wanted its mommy to get laid hardcore by its daddy. It didn't seem to understand that Mommy and Daddy weren't exactly allowing themselves to fulfill that part of their marriage.

A few days later, Beca got a call at work. She was so ready for the weekend, and she wanted nothing more to go home, take a bath, and to relax in her bed. She was exhausted, because it was starting to get difficult to sleep at night. She couldn't seem to get comfortable. She was still pretty small, but that still didn't mean that she was comfortable. It felt weird to sleep on her belly now (she wasn't sure if it was because it was so hard that it was like sleeping on a round, smooth rock, or if it was psychological and her unconscious was fearful of hurting the baby), and she couldn't seem to get comfortable on her back. She succumbed to buying a body pillow from Kohl's, because it was as close to sleeping on her stomach as she could get and still training herself to sleep on her side. "Hello?"

"Beca, guess what!?"

"What, Jesse?" She said, stifling her yawn.

"We're done! The movie's in post-production now."

"Didn't you just start a few weeks ago?"

"Well, yeah, but they hired us after most of the filming was finished. We needed a finish product to compose for."

"Oh. So, you're done?"

"Yeah, pretty much. There might be a few times here and there that I will have to fix something that I wrote if they want o reshoot the scene or change its message or whatever, but I'm essentially done. So, I invited Phil and his wife to dinner tonight. Is that cool?" She mouthed a curse word, because her plans to take a bath and then lounge in bed were officially thrown out the window.

"Sure. I made lasagna this morning. It just needs to go into the oven. We could do broccoli or something for a vegetable. I could pick up a pie or something for dessert tonight on the way home."

"That's perfect! I will see you when you get home! We can finally celebrate! See you later, Beca!" He hung up the phone, and she did the same. She groaned, dropping her head onto her desk and reaching behind her to rub at her lower back. She couldn't wait to get home.

* * *

A few hours later, after stopping at a bakery to pick up an apple and cherry pie (and a crème-filled donut for herself, because she never wanted anything so badly in her life; she sat in her car like a _freak_ with powder all over her face and the front of her, inhaling that donut like her life depended on it and licking the powder from her fingers like she was sucking the skin from her bones—it was disgusting to watch, she was sure), and then at the food store to pick up a half-gallon of vanilla ice cream and whip cream (and a small bag of sour cream and cheddar potato chips, a water bottle, and a bottle of mouthwash—she ate the bag of chips in the car, chugged the water bottle, and then rinsed her mouth out with the mouthwash _twice_, spitting it out on the ground beside her car), Beca finally made it home to the condo. She felt dirty, like one of those freaks that she occasionally watched on the strange addiction show in the middle of the night. She checked herself out in her rearview mirror. She dug in her purse for her tinted lip balm and cleaned up her smudged eyeliner to make sure she looked presentable for meeting her husband's boss and his wife. She ran her fingers through her messy curls, before finally climbing out of the car with her bag and the groceries.

She walked through the door, dropping the bag of groceries onto the table a few feet in the door. She pulled off her white jean jacket, hanging it up on the hook by the door. She glanced at the mirror there, deciding she was going to look the best that she could. She picked up the groceries. "Jesse?" She called out, walking first into the kitchen to put away the ice cream and pies.

"In the living room, Becs." She heard him call back to her. She walked towards the living room, stilling in the doorway when she saw Jesse was seated on the couch between two women. One was older, most likely the wife that he had been referring to; she had dark brown hair with wisps of gray spread throughout it; she looked like she was about fifty. The other was much younger, with black hair, pouty lips, big brown eyes, even bigger boobs that were shoved up to her chin in a pushup bra, and dental floss (excuse her, a _dress_). She looked like she was barely eighteen or nineteen, and she was draped all over Jesse, who appeared to be oblivious to the attention the prostitute was showering him (well, he was smiling wider than usual) as he showed them pictures in the photo album that stored all of their wedding pictures and pictures from their daytrips to San Diego, San Francisco, and the honeymoon in Quebec City.

Beca was shocked by the way her stomach churned and twisted; either she was jealous (shut up! She sowas _not_!) or she was feeling the baby move for the first time. She discreetly pressed her hands to her stomach, smiling to herself when she felt the slight movement beneath her belly, but then her smile disappeared as she watched the skank rest further against Jesse's arm as she leaned over to "see" a picture on the other side of the page. Fuck that slut. She dropped her arms to her sides, clearing her throat. "Hey."

"Becs," Jesse grinned, handing the book to the older woman to stand up. He walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. "You look nice today. Is that a new dress?" He asked as he brushed a kiss to her cheek. She narrowed her eyes when he pulled back, because he had to be fucking crazy if he wasn't going to kiss her in front of his boss's wife and whoever that whore was on the couch giving her a death glare and a smirk at the same time. She grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him into a kiss. She smiled when she felt him still, in shock from how forceful yet appropriate in front of their guests; after a moment, he returned the kiss, squeezing her hips. She broke the kiss, taking a step back, out of his grip, when she felt the baby practically do somersaults inside of her. The little jerk was obviously pleased that its mom and dad were finally touching.

Beca reached up, wiping at the smudge of reddish-pink that was smeared on Jesse's lower lip with her thumb; using her other thumb, she did the same with the skin beneath hers. He stared at her for a moment before waving his hand toward their guests who were standing a few feet away. When she turned her gaze toward the two women, she saw that the older woman was smiling sweetly at them, and the younger one was glaring at her. "Beca, this is Gladys, Phil's wife. This is their daughter, Janelle; she is a sophomore at UCLA and she came home for the weekend, so she thought that she would tag along tonight."

"It's so nice to meet you both." Beca smiled, holding her hand out to shake Gladys' hand and then Janelle's.

"It is so great to meet you, as well, Beca. You are gorgeous! I can tell why Jesse chose you. Those pictures from your wedding and honeymoon were so beautiful." Beca tried to not grimace at the woman; she was obviously being nice, but she had more going for her than her appearance, thank you. Plus, she was kind of shocked that the older woman thought she was attractive, considering she had about five piercings lining both ears and the three tattoos that were visible on her person (she had another four not visible). She had to be just saying that, right? "Phil is in the little boy's room, but he should be back in a moment. I know he is looking forward to meeting you."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to meeting the man that stole my husband for the last month or so." She joked as she wrapped an arm around Jesse's back, smiling up at him. She could feel Janelle's death glare on her.

"So, Jesse tells us that you work in music, as well?" Janelle said, tossing her hair. "What is that you do?"

"I'm a music producer." Beca said to the younger girl. The girl's jaw ticked, but she smiled at her.

"Oh? That sounds like it would be fun. You must be so proud of Jesse for composing such beautiful music."

"I am. Jesse's really talented. Although, I haven't seen much of him over the last few weeks, so I haven't had the chance to really hear his latest stuff."

"Oh, you really must! It's fantastic." The girl smiled flirtatiously at Jesse, who was trying his hardest not to preen from all the ego-fanning that she was throwing his way. Beca wanted to throw up, because this girl was about as transparent as it came. The little skank was practically blowing him in front of Beca and her mother. Beca balled her hand in the back of Jesse's shirt.

"You've heard it?"

"I play the piano, and Daddy asked me to come in and play one of the pieces Jesse wrote for the film." She said, obviously pleased with herself.

"That's great."

"Beca plays the piano and the guitar." Jesse said, resting his hand on the back of her neck. Beca immediately relaxed, and she hated herself for it.

"I haven't played the piano in years, but I still dabble in the guitar occasionally." She said, glaring at him slightly. A man Gladys' age walked into the room, smiling.

"This must be the lovely Beca! I'm so excited to meet Jesse's better half." He came forward, pressing a kiss to Beca's cheek. She smiled warmly at him.

"It's nice to meet Jesse's work wife. Is there any chance you want to keep him?" She joked, making the man laugh loudly.

"I'm sorry to tell you that he's not my type, unfortunately. You will have to pass him off to someone else." Beca giggled, resting into Jesse's side, trying her best to ignore the tingles spreading up and down her spine as his fingers stroked up and down the back of her neck. Fuck, she kept thinking the most inappropriate thoughts about those fingers, and images of the _incident_ that resulted in the baby in her belly jumped into her mind—images of exactly what those fingers could do to her body. Shit! She so needed to get laid.

"Oh, stop. You've missed me." Jesse muttered into her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple. Her heart was pounding, and the baby was rolling in her stomach like it was destined to be in the circus. She didn't realize that it would move that much, but maybe because it seemed to know who its father was, because it never acted like this before. She hated calling it an it in her head; she couldn't wait until she found out what it was.

"I guess." She said, rolling her eyes.

The dinner went well. She tried to control her desires to eat half of the lasagna herself, to take a knife to Janelle who was flirting mercilessly with the oblivious Jesse, or to throw Jesse down on the table and ravish him in front of the McCarthy family. She cleaned up the dishes and started on the coffee. She shooed Jesse, Gladys, Janelle, and Phil from the kitchen with the pies and ice cream. When the coffee was finished, she set up a tray and carried it to the living room. Everyone sipped their coffees and ate their desserts, and Phil and Jesse described the music. Jesse even grabbed his phone, playing some of the recorded music. He sat beside Beca, an arm wrapped around her shoulders, with Janelle pressed against his other side, but all of his focus was on Beca. His fingers absentmindedly stroked along her arm, and he periodically leaned over to press a kiss to her head. Beca still hated Janelle though. She seriously was about to kill that slut, because even if Jesse was doing a pretty good job of ignoring the younger girl and playing the dutiful, in love husband, the girl didn't seem to realize it. She continued to throw herself at Jesse and send death stares at Beca.

Finally, the evening was over, and Beca was practically dead on her feet. She was so relieved that the McCarthy family was leaving, and she could finally get to bed. She discreetly yawned behind her hand. She and Jesse walked the three of them to the door. Janelle threw her arms around Jesse's neck, pressing her body firmly against him. "Thank you so much for having me for dinner. If you're ever in the neighborhood of UCLA, don't hesitate to come find me, Jesse. I would _love_ to show you around campus." She purred, releasing him a lot later than was socially appropriate. Beca glared at the girl, gripping Jesse's hand tightly in hers. "It was nice meeting you, Beca." Janelle said, extending her hand. Beca released Jesse's hand to shake it before latching on to his hand once again.

"Yes, very nice to meet you. Good luck with school, Janelle."

"Thanks." Jesse said his goodbyes to everyone, and Phil hugged Beca goodbye. Gladys was the last to say goodbye. She hugged and smiled at Beca warmly.

"It was really great meeting you, Beca." She said, stepping back. "Oh, I almost forgot! Don't forget to tell me where you're registered!" Beca literally forgot to breathe. "How far along are you?"

"Oh, that's right! I meant to say congrats." Phil said, slapping Jesse on the arm and grinning at him.

"You're so lucky, sweetie. It looks like your all belly; you are carrying low and narrow. I was huge when I was pregnant with Janelle—all hips and stomach and cheeks. I blew up like a balloon!" Beca seriously wondered if her heart had stopped, and she was dead. The baby must have known it was being talked about, because it started doing back flips like a circus act.

"What?" Jesse said, looking at them all in confusion. "Beca's not pregnant." His brow furrowed. Beca's eyes slid shut, and she had to force herself to remain calm and take a breath.

"Oh, dear. I've really stepped in it, haven't I?" Gladys said, biting her lip.

"Mom! I'm sure that Beca's self-conscious about the weight she has gained since the wedding, but that hardly means she is pregnant!" Janelle said, waving it off. "A lot of women gain weight after they get married, thinking that they now hooked their husband, so he isn't going to leave them for someone thinner. I don't know why they would do that, though. If I was married to Jesse, I'm sure that we would be busy all the time working off calories." She winked, making Beca tighten her hands into fists; that bitch had a punch coming.

"Beca?" Jesse said, bringing her out of her thoughts about being the shit out of Janelle. Gladys pinched her daughter, who muttered, "ouch!"

"Um, February." Beca said finally. "I'm due in mid-February." She took a deep breath, turning to Jesse. "I found out the day you told me about the movie. You were so busy and excited about the movie; I didn't want to distract you." She said. He stared at her in shock.

"Okay! It appears we let the cat out of the bag, Gladys. Why don't we head out, and let the happy couple celebrate!" Phil quickly escorted his wife and daughter from the house. Beca smiled, following them to the doorway. She waved goodbye and shut the door behind her.

She felt Jesse's eyes on her back. She turned around slowly, pressing her hands to her stomach. "What the fuck?!" He shouted, making her jump. She closed her eyes, licking her bottom lip. "Seriously, Beca? What. The. Fuck?"

"I'm sorry. I was already thirteen weeks when I found out. I came home that day, fully expecting to tell you, and then you grabbed me and hugged me and told me about the movie before running out the door. You were so busy and excited about the movie and finally getting the chance, and I didn't know how to tell you. This isn't exactly something you announce in a note on the kitchen table. 'Jesse, there's pasta in the fridge. By the way, I'm pregnant! Have a good night!'" She yawned. "Can we go sit down and talk about this? I'm so freaking tired. I've been trying to keep it a secret all night, but I'm about to fall asleep on my feet." She said, yawning again. She walked past him, dropping onto the couch, stretching out. She lazily ran her hands over her stomach.

"I don't know how you can be so cool about this, Beca!" He shouted following her. She groaned, rubbing her stomach in circles. Lying down seemed to highlight her bump. She glanced up at him, and she saw that he was staring at her rounded stomach. "What the hell are we supposed to tell our friends?!"

"Um, I fully expected that you would want to host another party, where you would break out into song, serenading me with a little Paul Anka. Then, when you get to the part about the _seed_ that is growing inside of me, I would punch you in the stomach or kick you in the nuts, using the excuse of my pregnancy hormones." She smiled sweetly at him, but he continued to glare at her.

"_Very_ _funny_! If only we could all be as clever and funny as you during situations like this, Beca! _God_!" He yelled, his head falling back. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, and his face was bright red. She didn't understand his reaction to the pregnancy. He was so _angry_. "I can't believe you would do this. I can't believe you would do this to me."

"Wait! What?" She said, sitting up to stare him. What the hell? She had no idea what he was talking about. Correct her if she's wrong, but it took _two_ people to make a baby. Or, she was the next person to experience the Immaculate Conception or something?

"How could you be so stupid?! You realize that I'm stuck raising some other guy's kid now, right? This is so fucked up! I can't believe that you would do this to me!"

For the second time that night, Beca felt like she couldn't breathe. Did he seriously think that someone else got her pregnant? Did he really think that she would force him to pretend to the baby's father if he wasn't? Did he really think that she was that kind of person? She stared at him. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not kidding. You're pregnant with another guy's baby, and now all of our friends are going to think it's mine. You realize that I'm going to be stuck supporting someone else's kid for the rest of its life now." She stood up and shook her head, cursing the stupid pregnancy hormones that made her eyes tear up almost instantly. Did he honestly think she was that kind of person? She angrily wiped at her cheeks, storming past him. "I guess we know the cause of the divorce, huh?"

"Fuck you, Jesse." She muttered. She stormed up the steps; she refused to be around him. She never expected him to act like this. Sure, she didn't exactly expect him to jump for joy when he found out about the baby, but she never expected _this_ to happen. He had no idea that the baby was his. It was almost as if he couldn't fathom that it was possible that the baby could be his. At the top of the steps, she heard the front door open and slam shut, and she jumped. He was gone. He left. She wiped her cheeks. She hated feeling like this. She hated feeling vulnerable and alone and broken. She hated that he brought this out of her.

Beca made her way down the hallway and into her bedroom. She pulled off her dress, digging through her drawers for some pajamas to wear to bed. After changing, she marched into the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She then brushed her hair roughly. Next, she slathered her belly with the stretch mark cream that Brian had recommended to her. She didn't officially need it yet, but she figured that she would rather be safe than sorry. She then peed, because nothing was worse than when she had to pee ridiculously bad in the middle of the night. Even though she wasn't that big yet, it was starting to get difficult for her to jump out of bed quickly. Plus, she was getting dizzy when she stood up too quickly lately, so she tried to reduce that as much as possible. After washing her hands, she returned to her room. She turned on the bedside lamp and then walked over to her door to turn out the overhead light. She climbed into the bed, tossing and turning in order to find a comfortable position. Finally, she got settled, so she turned out the light. She spent most of the night crying, trying to fall asleep. She hated him in that moment, because he ruined this for her. She was starting to feel excited about being a mother (shut up! Buying maternity clothes was annoying, but kind of cool at the same time…there was a _baby_ _inside of her_, which is why she had gotten so fat and needed new clothes), and he had to go ruin all of this for her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry, guys! Don't hate me (or Jesse) too much, please! I have a plan! I swear there is a plan! The next part will begin with Jesse's point of view. I haven't had it in awhile, but I wanted to wait until this point to have his point of view again. Again, I'm sooo sorry! Please don't be too mean with me when you let me know what you think of the chapter.**

**The upside is that you get a hint of Jealous Beca with the way that Janelle was throwing herself at Jesse...in front of her parents and his wife. Imagine me pulling a Fat Amy: *cough, slut, cough* More Jealous Beca will come out, more angry-Jesse, more drama, and _maybe a little bit of smut_ await you in the next chapter. (But who shall be doing the dirty deeds? You will have to wait to see...) REVIEW! (I'm scared...)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**My Fake Husband Chapter 10**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 10**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: This chapter took me by surprise, honestly. I had this outline of what I wanted to do for this story in ten chapters, total, but it kind of took on a mind of its own and ran wild. I really hope that you all like this chapter, because it went nowhere near where I wanted it to actually go. Let me know what you think! It's all in Jesse's point of view, because we haven't had one of those in a while. Enjoy! **

**There is a tiny bit of smut in this chapter towards the end. Nothing too graphic, though. I will block it off for those of you who don't want to read it! It is the fourth blocked off section, right before the end of the chapter!  
**

* * *

Jesse stormed out of the house after Beca cursed at him and went upstairs. He barely even remembered to grab his keys and wallet from where he left it by the door. He was so pissed that he couldn't even see straight. He didn't know why she was so pissed at him; he had every right to be angry and hurt over this bullshit. He climbed into his car, not knowing where he was going. He knew that he didn't want to go _Tasmania_ and deal with Fat Amy or Bumper, even if he got free drinks when he went there.

He wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt him. How could she do that to him? Was she stupid? How did she _not _know? It was as if she was so completely blind to _everything_. He had always wanted her. He had always wanted something real with her; he thought that they could have something real—that date they went on three years was probably one of the best dates that he had ever been on. In hindsight, he knew that things probably wouldn't have worked out between them had the date gone differently; he lived in New York City, and she in LA. Then, after spending so much time with her over the last few months, he now knew that they probably would have slept together that night and then been done with each other; maybe they would have hooked up here and there when he was in town, but she wouldn't have let it get further than that. She was too messed up; her parents were assholes, and she had no real concept of what love and healthy relationships were like, aside from the ones she saw her friends have. She didn't think that she _deserved_ to have that, which was ridiculous, but her parents never exactly told her that she could—would—should.

Jesse had always flocked to her over the last few years when he was in town. He couldn't help it; she was an enigma, always drawing his attention. He didn't understand her; he wanted to. He played it off as fun to mess with her, but it was more than that—he was _attracted_ to her. He wanted her. The kisses that they had shared over the three years that they had known each other only made him want her more. It was why he said her name in that first meeting with Danielson. Of all the women he knew that were straight and singe, he chose _her_, because he _liked_ her. For the two months that they lived together before they got married only made him fall harder for her. He wasn't lying when he spoke his vows; okay, so maybe he didn't love her. That was embellished a little for the sake of the wedding and the people watching them—to make it seem real—but he wasn't lying when he said that he wanted to spend his life with her. Despite her hard exterior, he knew that she was a spectacular person—the kind of person that he wanted to spend his life with. She was gorgeous and funny and passionate and sweet (when she wanted to be or when she really cared about someone) and fun to be around. She made him laugh. She made him happy. He fell hard for her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving her.

He almost died when they slept together, because he thought it was perfect and really showed just how right they were together—they both wanted the other person. She didn't have to kiss him; she could have pushed him away, and he would have stopped. But, she kissed him. Then, he came back, drunk and confused, and kissed her. Then, they slept together—they wanted each other. Then, her reaction was to shut him out further; she said they would never sleep together again. She said that it wasn't real, that it was wrong, that it shouldn't have happened. It hurt him to no end, but he realized that maybe it was too soon. But, then she started dating that douche bag. She continued to confuse the hell out of him—she was all over him all of the time, whether people were present or not (despite her claims that people _always_ had to be present). He was so sure that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. But, she was dating someone else. Cole. What the hell kind of name is _Cole_? A lame name, that's for sure.

Beca knew that Jesse was pleased when he learned things were over between her and Cole; it wasn't for the reasons that she thought, but because he actually wanted to be with her—to have a real relationship, a real marriage. He thought that by caring for her when she was sick, going out of his way to do thoughtful things for her (he made her all of her favorite meals and desserts and picked up random things for her), would show her just how much he cared about her—that it would show her how much he wanted things to be real between her. He was so sure that she felt the same way, because she would hold his hand or touch him or kiss his cheek, even when no one else was around. He thought that she felt the same for him, but she didn't. She dated someone else, and now she was pregnant with that guy's baby.

He was allowed to be angry about that. He was allowed to feel pissed that he was supposed to raise the child of another man with her for the rest of its life. It would be a completely different thing if he couldn't have kids, so they got sperm from a sperm bank. It would be a completely different thing if she was already pregnant when they met or already had a child. In both of those instances, he could—would—raise a baby that wasn't his, because it would be was the father by choice. But this baby—this baby was the result of her desire to show him just how much she didn't want to be with him; she chose someone else. Now, he was forced to take care of that baby, because even though he said that he could use this as an excuse for why they got divorced, he would still have been there for that baby since its birth. It would only know him as its father, and how could he walk out on it when it was two and a half. The baby wouldn't understand; the baby wasn't at fault here. That was all Beca.

Jesse glanced up when he realized that he had somehow driven himself to some bar that was about halfway between their condo and _Tasmania_. He turned off his car and climbed out. He planned to get drunk and maybe staying in a motel for the night, because he knew that if he went home, he would only say more hurtful things. He didn't want to be that _guy_. No matter how hurt and angry he was, he didn't want to be that guy. The one that everyone thinks is a douche bag. He already acted like enough of a douche tonight because he was pissed and upset. He walked into the bar and found an empty stool by the bar. He dropped into and asked for bourbon on the rocks. The bartender set the drink down in front of him a few moments later. He took a sip, staring at a crack in the wood of the bar top.

"Can I get a sex on the beach, please?" A breathy feminine voice chirped from next to him. He didn't look up, even when the girl giggled, adding, "whoops! Sorry!" when she bumped into his arm as she climbed onto the stool. "You look a little green about the gills. Wanna talk about it?" The girl asked.

Jesse took another sip of his drink before he glanced at her. She was pretty—a few years younger—with blond curly hair and blue eyes. She pouted at him, her bottom lip jutting out in a way that was supposed to be cute. Well, it kind of was, but it wasn't appealing. He was too caught up in thoughts of Beca. "Got in a fight with my wife." He said, turning his focus back on his drink.

"Oh!" The girl said, grabbing her drink in her hands the moment the bartender put it in front of her. "You're married…" He nodded his head. The girl was probably hoping to pick him up (or to get him to pick her up, buying all of her drinks and then take her home.).

"Yeah." He responded. He sipped his drink again.

"My name is Kristy." She said, extending her hand. He sighed, shaking her hand.

"Jesse."

"Nice to meet you, Jesse. I'm sorry that you and your wife are fighting. Would you like to talk about it? I'm a really good listener." She smiled at him.

"Nothing much to talk about really. She and I are…uh..." He didn't know how to explain the situation. "She and I were talking about having kids, and I think she…uh…might be interested in someone else." It wasn't the complete truth; it had all of the right components, but it was readjusted slightly. He couldn't tell a stranger the complete truth.

"Well, if she is stupid enough to cheat or even think for a second that someone else is better than you, she must be an idiot." Kristy said, taking a sip of her drink. "If I were your wife, I would be jumping at the chance to have a baby with you." She paused, crinkling her nose. "Well, actually…I think I wouldn't be jumping at the baby part, but making it? Definitely." She winked.

Jesse smiled in response, because the girl expected it, but he wasn't interested in her. Sure, she was attractive, but she was a kid. Like that Janelle girl. She had flirted with him mercilessly, in front of her parents and Beca, but he didn't bat an eye. She was too young, a sophomore in college, about a decade younger than him. He was turning twenty-nine in a few months; he wanted a woman, not a kid. This girl, this Kristy, she was maybe twenty-three or twenty-four; sure, she wasn't as young as Janelle, but she was still such a kid in comparison to the stage he was at. He wanted love, a wife, a family; most of all, he wanted all of that with Beca.

"Yeah, well, that is the beauty of making babies. It's fun." He chuckled, sipping his bourbon. "She'd be a great mom." He sighed, staring into his drink. "Beca's amazing. She had a rough childhood, but she is gonna be a great mom." He wasn't lying. Shit, now he felt like a complete asshole. He didn't take a second to ask her anything about the pregnancy. She talked about being tired, how she kept that to herself, because she was playing the role of the supportive wife when he was so concerned about himself and his career. He never asked her about how she was feeling, what she was going through, or if she needed anything. She played her role the way that she was supposed to play it, had played it well the entire time—for _him_—but when it came to the first time that she needed him, he wasn't there for her; he acted like a total asshole and hurt her. She never had to marry him; she was doing him a huge favor. She was completely changing her life, risking a prison sentence and a ridiculously hefty fine for him. She was going above and beyond for him when she didn't have to. Shit, what is he doing here? What was he doing here in this bar, talking to some other woman, acting like it was all Beca's fault? It wasn't all her fault.

Jesse thought that he made his intentions, his desire to be with her, clear to Beca, but he never came out and said that he was starting to feel more for her than friendship (or that he wanted more). He had hoped that he could just _show_ her, and she would understand, but she ran into the arms of someone else. Sure, he was still hurt that she was pregnant by another guy, and things were going to be really complicated between them now. He just hoped that he didn't ruin their friendship with how he acted earlier. He might want more than that, but she was honestly his best friend, and he hated being the reason that she was so hurt or angry. Even if nothing ever came out of this whole thing, even if nothing ever happened between them after this was all done, he wanted to be sure that she was his best friend when it was all over.

"If she is so great, then why is she cheating?"

"She's not cheating."

"You think she is."

"She's not. She's not perfect, and neither am I. I haven't really been the best husband to her lately. I've been so caught up in myself these last few weeks, and when something big happened in her life tonight, I blew up and overreacted. I should have been more mature about it and talked to her. I messed up pretty badly, and I can only hope that she will forgive me."

"But, you think she's cheating on you." Kristy was grasping at straws now. "You said that you think she is interested in someone else." He rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't mean that she would actually have an affair. It's my job to make sure that she stays interested in me, right?" He laughed, finishing off his drink. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Kristy. Thanks for listening. I needed it."

"I don't get it. Your wife is losing interest in you, because you were busy with work, and you think you're the bad guy? That is stupid."

"That is the beauty of marriage, Kristy. It doesn't always make sense. It is a partnership. Sometimes there are bad moments, and if you really care about your spouse, you don't give up at the first sign of trouble. She and I made some mistakes, but it is our job to try and fix them. I'm off to find my wife and apologize for being a real douche to her. Goodnight." He stood up and laid a ten on the bar for his drink. He headed towards the exit, not daring to look back, even though he heard Kristy's disappointed huff. He climbed into his car and drove home. He smiled at that thought: _home_, where he and Beca lived _together._

* * *

Jesse parked the car out front of their condo. He turned off the car and walked up to the front door. He hesitated for a moment before he unlocked it and went inside. He dropped his keys next to the door, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, placing it beside his keys. He locked the front door and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He jumped when he heard something behind him. "Shit!" He said, pressing a hand to his chest. "Beca, hi."

"I thought I heard something." Beca said, crossing her arms. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she was dressed in a white tank top over a pair of cotton Capri pajama bottoms with her lightweight robe on top, open. His eyes immediately trailed to the bulge of her stomach. She must have felt his gaze, because she immediately wrapped the robe closed, trying to keep that part of her closed off to him. He royally fucked up. "I'm gonna go back to bed." She turned and started to make her way out of the room.

"Beca, wait." She hesitated in the doorway. "Can we talk?"

"I'm tired, Jesse." She said, not turning around.

"Right, of course." He paused. "I just…we can talk in the morning, but before you go to sleep, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"For what?" She looked over her shoulder at him. He couldn't read the expression on her face.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you instead of just talking to you about this. I'm sorry that I might have hurt you. I'm sorry that I overreacted to this. I was a jerk about it. I should have talked to you about it calmly. You deserved better." He paused again, because her jaw tensed, and she looked away from him again. Maybe he wasn't apologizing for the right things? He thought that he was. "I'm also sorry for not asking you how you're feeling or if you needed anything." He ran a hand through his hair. She nodded her head.

"Okay."

"So, we can talk more in the morning. I'll make breakfast. Did you want anything in particular?" She shrugged her shoulders, still looking away from him.

"Whatever."

"Seriously, are you craving anything in particular? I will happily mixed sardines and ice cream or something for you." She turned around to look at him in disgust, pressing a hand to her stomach and shaking her head at him.

"Eww." Jesse laughed, and, soon, Beca was, too. "That's disgusting."

"You really have no cravings? You don't want me taking a midnight run to Taco Bell?" She bit her lip, and he could see the tiniest hints of a smile creeping onto her face.

"No Taco Bell." She released her bottom lip, looking down at the floor. He followed her gaze, and he noticed that her toenails were painted a light blue. It stood out to him, because she was all about the doom and gloom usually, because she was so angry at the world after the way that she was raised, but this was different. He raised his gaze up her body, and he realized that a lot more of her was changed than the color she was painting her toenails and the bulge in her middle. She was lighter in a way. Well, she still looked hurt by what had happened between them earlier, but underneath that, she was different—happier than he had seen her in a long time. Was she excited to be a mom? Did she actually want this baby?

From the moment that he had met Beca, Jesse had known that she wasn't exactly the maternal type. After knowing her for three years, he knew that she wasn't exactly the married type, either. When he heard her on the phone with her parents, especially the phone call with her dad, she had been so adamant that she wasn't stupid enough to get pregnant. Now, she was, and it seemed like it was actually happy that it happened. She wanted to be a mom. He decided then and there that even if this baby wasn't his, he would raise it like it was his own—he would help her be the best mom that she could be. One that did tell her kid that love between two people didn't exist. One that didn't tell her kid that she should only use men for sex. Even if things were over between them in two years, he was still going to be there for her and for that baby. Sure, he would have to ask her if she wanted to tell that Cole guy, the baby's _biological_ father, that there was a baby, but he wasn't going to walk out of their lives two years from now and never look back. He wasn't that kind of person; his parents didn't raise him to be like that.

"Waffles." She said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I'd like waffles and ice cream. And a ton of fruit. And whip cream. And chocolate chips." She bit her lip, pressing her hand to her stomach. "Actually, I think the baby wants all that now." She said, looking down at her stomach with a funny look on her face. "I thought it was gas or butterflies or something earlier tonight, but I can actually feel the baby move. It's so strange. I don't know how to explain it. It's the weirdest sensation." She glanced up at him before looking away, embarrassed.

"Um, can…" Jesse chewed on his bottom lip. He didn't know how to ask what he wanted to ask. He didn't know if he was allowed to after the stunt he pulled earlier. Beca glanced at him again. "Can I…?" He gave up again, just pointing at her stomach. She took a deep breath and blew it out. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I was a total douche to you earlier, and I don't blame you for not wanting me anywhere near you. I'm really, really sorry, Beca. I swear. I want to make it up to you." She held up a hand, stopping him from saying another word.

"Jesse, stop talking." She took a hesitant step towards him, and then another. "Um, yeah, you can…uh…you can touch my stomach." She walked a little further in the room, and he met her halfway. She carefully opened the robe again, and for the first time since he knew that she was pregnant, he was very close to her stomach. It was so obvious to him now. How did he not notice it before? "I'm not sure if you'll be able to feel the baby move from the outside. All the books and stuff that I have read says that usually comes later, but the baby is doing somersaults inside of me right now. He or she moves a lot when…" She trailed off, biting her lip. He could tell that she was about to say something that she didn't want to say.

"The baby moves a lot when what?" She mumbled something he couldn't quite hear. "What was that?"

"The baby moves a lot when I'm around you. Earlier tonight…the baby was going crazy. It was the weirdest thing, because when I was talking to Gladys or Phil or doing dishes or whatever, the baby was really mellow, occasionally kicking or whatever it was doing in there, but when I was around you, it went nuts." His heart pounded in his chest. The baby moved when she was around him?

"I'm gonna touch you now, okay?" She nodded her head, and he gently laid his hand on her stomach, over her shirt. She sucked in a deep breath, and he blew one out. It was the strangest feeling. Her stomach was soft, warm, but also kind of hard, like the skin was stretched tightly over a rock. She crinkled her nose, laughing slightly. "What?"

"The baby is kicking like crazy right now. You're the first person besides me and the doctor to touch my stomach. Can you feel it?" She asked, moving his hand to another part of her stomach. He didn't think he could feel anything.

"I'm not sure. I'm mainly feeling your shirt, but I don't think I can feel anything beneath it."

"Here," she said, pulling her shirt up and then laying his hand against her skin again. It was even weirder for him to feel her actual stomach beneath his hand. She pressed his palm more firmly into her stomach. "Can you feel it now?" He closed his eyes, focusing all of his attention onto his hand. He didn't want to upset her, considering she was the one who said it was unlikely that he would feel the baby move from outside of her stomach at this point during the pregnancy. Then, suddenly, he felt a sharp jab through the layers of the skin. "Ouch. That one actually hurt me." She said, looking up at him. "Did you feel it?"

"Yeah, I felt it." Jesse smiled at Beca, feeling the baby shift slightly again. "Should I feel it this soon? Didn't you say that it is common to feel it later in the pregnancy?"

"I think it is because I'm still really small. I've gained a little over nine pounds at this point. I should start putting on more weight soon. I'm not going to be able to hide the pregnancy for too much longer."

"Are you too small? Should you have gained more weight? You said you were hungry, right? I'll make you something right now. What do you want to eat? Did you want the waffles?" He pulled away from her and ran over to the cupboards, taking out the ingredients he needed to make waffles.

"Jesse, you don't have to make me anything."

"You're hungry and way too small. I'm gonna make you some waffles." She sighed, walking over to lean against the counter next to him while he mixed up the batter.

"I'm not that small. My doctor said that you're supposed to gain about two or so pounds in the first three months and then about a pound over a week past that. I do need to start eating more and gaining a bit more at this stage of my pregnancy, but I'm not too small. I've always been slender, so it isn't that strange that I'm not that big already, even if I feel like I have been doing nothing but eat and sleep." She yawned, rolling her head on her shoulders.

"You're tired. You should be in bed. Why don't you head upstairs, and I will make you a huge plate of waffles when their done."

"If I lay down, then I'll probably fall asleep, and I really want to eat waffles." She pouted.

"Go to bed. I promise I will wake you when the waffles are done." She stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if she believed him. "I promise, Beca." She nodded her head and made her way out of the kitchen.

* * *

As Jesse finished preparing a massive plate of waffles, loaded down with huge dollops of vanilla ice cream, fruit, chocolate chips, and whip cream, as well as two mugs of tea for them to drink, he thought about how much better this night turned out to be. After he made the decision to stand by Beca, he had done what he could to make things right between them. It might not be perfect—or anywhere close to being right between them again—he felt confident that she had forgiven him when it came to the way that he had messed up earlier. He set the plate, utensils, and the two mugs of tea on a tray, putting all of the dishes in the sink, deciding to wash them later. He carried the tray upstairs, finding the door to Beca's room open slightly. He opened it to find her asleep with a baby book open on her chest and the light on the end table on. He wanted to let her sleep, but he promised to wake her up, so he walked further into the room. He carefully climbed into the bed beside her.

"Beca," he said, setting the tray down between them. He reached out and pulled the book from her hands. She stirred, opening her eyes and groaning slightly. "I come baring the biggest plate of waffles, ice cream, et cetera." He set the book down, after folding down the corner to mark her page, on the end table beside him. When he turned back, he saw that she had pulled the tray into her lap, resting it on her legs after she had sat up some. She was digging into the food with a happy grin on her face. "I take it you're excited?"

"So good!" She moaned, grinning, shoveling another forkful of food into her mouth. He rolled his eyes grabbing his own fork and stabbing a strawberry that was drenched in chocolate chips and whip cream. He popped it into his mouth.

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome in the kitchen." She rolled her eyes. As they ate, he decided to ask her a little more about her pregnancy. "So, you said you were due in February?"

"Yeah, on the seventeenth."

"Do you know if it is a boy or a girl yet?"

"Not yet. I've got the twenty-week ultrasound in two weeks, so I'd find out then." She took another bite food. "If he or she is willing to show us what is going on between its legs."

"Do you want to know?"

"I'm not sure yet. I don't know where the baby is even going to go. We only have two bedrooms. I planned on having a crib in here, I guess, but the baby can't live in my room for the rest of its life." She looked away from him, and he could tell that something was off. Then, he remembered something she said.

"Wait. Did you say that you're eighteen weeks pregnant?" She nodded her head. "That's like almost five months." She nodded her head again. She put her fork down, biting her lip. "It can't be Cole's, because you didn't know him five months ago." She shook her head. "Who's the baby's dad, Beca?" If he did the math right, then that would mean that she got pregnant sometime in early May if she was nearly five months pregnant now. Then, why would the baby be due in February. It didn't make sense. Weren't pregnancies nine months long? She didn't say anything for awhile.

"I learned something when I went to the doctor the first time. I was already about thirteen weeks along, into my second trimester." She said finally, still not looking at him. "I learned that pregnancies last for forty weeks, which is about ten months. I also learned that they calculate the start of pregnancy based on the first day of your last period." She chewed her bottom lip. "On average about two weeks pass before ovulation begins—but that depends on the woman's cycle. That is when conception happens—during ovulation. My pregnancy technically started on May thirteenth."

Jesse stared at Beca. If her pregnancy began on the thirteenth of May—the first day of her last period—then that would mean that about two weeks later, she was ovulating. Two weeks after the thirteenth of May meant that…_fuck_. "Beca," he said, closing his eyes. "Am I the baby's father?" He opened his eyes to see that she was staring at the plate of food. Her eyes were shiny. Fuck, he really screwed this up. He had screamed at her for getting pregnant by another man earlier, and it turned out that _he_ was the baby's father after all. They got pregnant when they got drunk and had sex. Apparently, they had sex without protection.

"Yes," she said finally. "You're the father." She paused. "I didn't sleep with anyone else. I never slept with Cole." He let out a shuddering breath.

"Fuck! I'm the biggest asshole on the planet. Why didn't you say something earlier? I was going on and on about how you were forcing me to be the parent to a baby that wasn't even mine, being a complete douche bag. Why didn't you just say it was mine?"

"Would you have believed me?"

"Of course I would have!" She pressed a hand over her eyes, sighing.

"Jesse, I didn't want to tell you that you were the father, because I was so upset. You basically called me a slut and a liar. You made me feel horrible, like I was the kind of person who would try to take advantage of you. It hurt that you thought of me like that. I didn't want to tell you at first, because I kept telling myself that in two years, this is all done, and if you wanted the excuse to get out, to use the baby as an excuse, you could. Then, it would just be me and the baby. That kind of scared me; I thought I would screw up this kid the way that my parents screwed me up, but then I started to realize that I didn't want that life for my baby. I didn't want my baby to feel like it was a mistake or unloved. I just…I would have told you eventually."

Jesse grabbed the tray from Beca's lap. She whimpered, reaching for it again. She grabbed her fork and finished off the last of the fruit, making him chuckle humorlessly. When she was finished eating that, she picked up her mug and sipped it. Jesse moved the tray off of her lap again, setting it on the floor next to his side of the bed. He grabbed his mug of tea and set it on the end table beside him after he took a sip. "So, I'm the dad." He ran a hand down his face. "I'm so sorry about everything I said to you earlier. I'm so sorry that I hurt you like that. I was just so frustrated and angry and hurt by this." He said, waving his hand towards her stomach.

She rested her hands on her stomach, rubbing it lightly. "I know you're sorry. I believe you. It still hurts, but I think I could forgive you."

"I hope so! I just…I overreacted, because I kept thinking that you didn't want me, and you chose someone else." Shit, he didn't want to say that to her. She looked at him in surprise. This wasn't exactly the time that he tells her that he wants something real between them. They definitely weren't ready for that, considering that she just told him that he was the father, and he had acted so horribly to her earlier. "I just…it's a matter of pride, you know? I'm your husband, and I know that it is only legally, but it still killed me that you and I slept together. Then, two seconds after you got done telling me what a huge mistake we made, you go running into the arms of someone else. You actually began dating him, and it hurt, because I couldn't help but think what was so wrong with me that you didn't even want to give it a second thought? Then, I found out that you're pregnant, and it about killed me, because I couldn't get passed the idea that you slept with someone else and now I was stuck with this baby that you created with him. I knew that I was going to be the one raising it, referring to myself as the father, because all of our friends and your family and our coworkers knew that you and I are married and that we are supposed to be this happily married, in love couple. And it pissed me off, because I knew that I would be the asshole that walked out on this kid two years from now. I couldn't do that to him or her. I couldn't be the reason why this kid thinks that she or he is bad or unloved or unimportant. I couldn't do that to him or her, so that meant that now I was its dad for life, even if I wasn't the one who actually created it with you." He paused, running a hand down his face. "I decided earlier tonight that I was going to learn to deal with that fact, to stand by you and the baby, because it is what a good person does. My parents raised me to be a good person, and you and this baby _deserve_ to be treated well. My mind is pretty much gone now, though, because to know that I'm actually the father…it changes everything."

"Why did you never consider yourself? We did sleep together."

"I know, but I was so preoccupied with the fact that you were with Cole right after you and I were together, and I just…I didn't think that there was a possibility that the baby was in fact mine."

"Well, it isn't his. It's yours."

"Fuck, I'm like the biggest asshole in the world. Can I touch your stomach again?" Beca rolled her eyes, grabbing Jesse's hand in hers and sliding it beneath her shirt. He curled his fingers slightly, pressing them into her skin. "So, you said that the baby went nuts when you were around me tonight. Do you think it knows that I'm its dad?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe?" She chewed on her bottom lip with her brow furrowed. He cocked an eyebrow at her, because she wasn't being honest with him.

"What are you not telling me?"

"It's possible that the baby heard me and the doctor—Brian, Jessica's husband, by the way, is my OBGYN—talking about you being the dad and then started flipping out when it heard me say your name again to you." He stared at her. Babies are pretty freaking cool and kind of resilient, but he didn't think that a fetus that was still developing its brain could do what she just described.

"You're really going to tell me that our not-fully formed unborn child is able to process that you and your doctor were talking about me and then recognized my name when you mentioned it tonight? That is kind of stupid." He shook his head. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Okay, so my hormones are crazy out of control, you know? I think that the baby might have picked up on that." Jesse cocked an eyebrow at Beca. "Oh, you're gonna make me say it? This baby is making me insanely horny, and you happen to be attractive—oh, don't look at me like that you, Jesse! You know you're attractive—and I think that the baby picked up on it tonight, which is why it is freaking out whenever you're near me."

He didn't want to laugh, because he knew that it would probably do nothing but hurt her and result in a kick in the nuts for him, but it was kind of amusing. She basically just told him that he turned her on. He smirked at her, and she groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You're blaming our baby for the fact that you're horny? For me?"

"Shut up! The second trimester is known for the increased sex drive!" She said through her hands. "You just happen to be what is available all the time."

"You want me, Beca. It's okay to admit it." He said, pressing his hand more firmly against her stomach. He had almost forgotten it was there, but now that he knew that she wanted him (at least sexually), he was going to take advantage of that. He totally was all for sleeping with her; he already wanted her, and now that he knew that it was his baby that she was carrying, he wanted her even more. He was more than willing to offer himself up to her to make her feel a little bit better; was he really going to pass on the chance to have sex with her? Hell, no!

"Jesse," she said quietly. He stretched out on the bed beside her; he moved close enough to her, so that her side was pressed against his chest.

"Beca, do you want me now?" He asked her, running his fingertips along her stomach, making her squirm. "Do you want me to touch you?" He watched as her eyes clamped shut, and her breathing became more erratic. "All you have to do is say the words, and I will help you out." She whimpered, and her hands balled into fists at her side.

"Jesse, please." It was all that he needed to hear.

* * *

Jesse gently slid his hand down her stomach to the tops of her pajama bottoms. He slid one finger beneath the rim, scratching his nail along the skin he found beneath it. She sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Kiss me." He pulled his hand away from her pants and used it to turn her face towards him. He immediately kissed her hard on the mouth, smirking into the kiss when he heard her whimper against his lips. She rolled onto her side, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She cried out, pulling out of the kiss, after he pulled her flush against his chest. "My breasts are killing me. Their starting to get ready for breastfeeding, according to the books and Brian, so they're _really_ sensitive; like, if it was appropriate for me to go around topless all of the time, I would, because they are killing me."

"I have no problems with you being topless around the condo all of the time." He said as he stroked his fingers along her sides, itching to touch her breasts, as well as watching her squirm from his feather-light touch. "Do you want me to not touch them, then?" He was a little disappointed, because he loved her boobs before the pregnancy, but now that he had been very close to her body tonight, he could totally tell that they were a little bigger, which was totally fine with him.

"Just…I don't know…not too much?" He nodded his head and resumed kissing her, being careful not to push too hard against her chest. His fingers twisted the fabric of her shirt on her lower back. He wanted to pull the shirt off of her, but he was going to wait until she asked him to.

"What do you want me to do now?" He asked against her ear after he kissed his way down her jaw towards her neck.

"Take your shirt off." He grinned, pulling away from her to sit up and pull his shirt off. She immediately began kissing his neck and chest, which made his eyes fall shut.

"Now what?" He said as he ran his hands through her hair as she pressed a ton of open-mouthed kisses against his chest.

"Now mine."

Jesse pushed on Beca's shoulders, pulling back from her. He then slid his hands down her arms before settling them onto her hips. He gently tugged the fabric up, exposing her skin inch by inch. He went painfully slow, making her groan with impatience. He laughed as he finally pulled the shirt completely off. He took in the sight of her topless, sitting in the bed off opposite him, with her fuller breasts completely bare before him and the curved swell of her stomach. She was beautiful, and he couldn't wait for the opportunity to worship her body once again. "Shit, you're beautiful." He groaned, leaning forward to kiss her, sliding both of his hands into her hair at the back of her head.

Her nails dug into his shoulders for a moment before she slid her hands behind his head to her neck. She scraped her nails along the back of her neck and then slid them into his hair. He groaned, because it felt amazing and always sent a shock down his spine. Once she figured out that he liked it, she kept doing it—every time they kissed; occasionally when they were just sitting next to each other, and her hand would rest along the back of his neck, scraping his skin lightly and tangling with the hair at the base of his skull. It was heavenly and torturous all at the same time, because it had always made him want to kiss her fiercely when he couldn't (like when it was just the two of them on the couch, watching a movie that he was "forcing" on her.).

Jesse detangled his hands from Beca's hair, sliding them down her back to press her a little more firmly against him. He did it carefully so as to not hurt her since she said her breasts were sensitive. Shit, he wanted them more than ever knowing that he couldn't just grab hold to them. He was like a child whose parent just said that he couldn't have a cookie before dinner; all you want is that cookie. All you think about it is that cookie; all you do is plan for a way to get that cookie. Then, finally you sneak the cookie, hoping like hell you don't get caught, and it is so good, because it was sinful, forbidden. She didn't say not to touch her there, just to be gentle. He could do gentle.

He pushed her back so that she was lying on the bed, with her head resting on the pillows. While resting all of his weight on one forearm beside her, he leaned over and pressed a light kiss to swell of her stomach. She moaned, running a hand through his hair. He laid his hand on her stomach, pulling back so that his face was inches from her stomach. This was the moment when he broke out of his lust for her and focused on being close to his baby. "Hi, little one. I'm your daddy. I don't know if you can hear me, but I totally think you should take a nap, because your daddy is about to do dirty things to your mommy, and you shouldn't be aware of them." She laughed a little breathlessly.

Jesse shifted his gaze from her stomach to look at her face. Beca was biting her bottom lip, staring at him with amusement and desire and something else that he didn't dare to name (he wanted to say that it was something close to love, but he didn't want to get his hopes up). He watched her as he ran his fingers lightly over her stomach. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. "Jesse, if you don't touch me _somewhere_, I might kill you." He smirked, sliding his hand up her stomach to brush along the underside of her breast. She jerked, and he paused, waiting to see if she was okay. She nodded her head, and he slid his hand up further, not daring to touch her nipple yet.

"Are you okay?" She nodded her head again, but her breathing had changed. He couldn't tell if it was because she was finally really being touched by him or because her breasts were too sensitive and it was hurting her. "Tell me if it is too much, and I'll stop." She nodded her head again. "God, you're gonna have to use your words, Beca." She glared at him momentarily.

"Don't be an ass right now. I really don't want to be pissed at you and kick you out, because it is only going to punish me." He chuckled, pressing a kiss to the skin below her breasts with his eyes locked on hers. She whimpered, pressing her hand to the back of his head. He settled his hand more firmly over her breast, letting his palm stroke along her nipples. She moaned, arching her back into his hand. "That's good…so good." She gasped.

"It doesn't hurt?" He asked as he kissed the underside of her other breast. She dug her nails into the scalp, scraping them down his neck, making him groan into her breast.

"N-n-no…well, yes, but not in a bad way." She arched her back into his mouth and hand again.

Jesse continued to kiss and lightly massage her breasts, watching Beca the entire time that he did it; he studied her face, looking for any sign that she was in pain. She had her eyes clamped shut, and she was breathing heavily. He avoided making too much contact with her nipples, though, because he knew that they were the most sensitive. "How are you doing?" She whimpered, biting her lip.

"_I'm_ _so_ _good_." She gasped out, moaning when his lips grazed her nipple. "Again." He brushed his lips over her nipple, not adding too much pressure to it, smiling when she moaned. "_More_, Jesse." He opened his mouth, gently sucking on it. She groaned loudly, arching her back again. "_Fuck_." She gasped. He continued sucking on her nipple, gently twisting the other nipple in his fingers. She hummed digging her nails into his hair. "God, so good." He noticed that her breathing changed, and he watched her as he touched her. Her eyes were clamped tight, and she pressing her head back into the pillows, biting her lip and breathing heavily. She suddenly jerked, arching her back and letting out a loud moan. She pushed his head and hands away from her breasts, pressing a hand to her face and breathing heavily.

* * *

"Did you just…?" Jesse asked from where he was lying next to Beca on the bed. She let out a shuddering breath before looking over at him, glaring at him when she noticed his smirk.

"Shut up."

"Didn't say anything." He tried to wipe the smirk off his face, but he couldn't help it. She just had an orgasm purely from him touching her breasts. He was pretty damn proud of himself.

"Don't be so pleased with yourself. It's the pregnancy hormones." She closed her eyes.

"I think I can take a little credit for this. After all, it was me doing all the work." He leaned over to kiss her lips, biting on her bottom lip. She moaned, sliding her hands into his hair. "Are you feeling better?" He asked when he broke the kiss. She nodded her head, yawning. He glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was nearly two in the morning. He should let her get some sleep. Now that he knew that she was turned on by him, he was going to make sure that he continued to help her out whenever her hormones got to be a little too much. While he would love to continue this now, because he had an erection the size of North America in his pants right now, he knew that she needed sleep. "Why don't we continue this tomorrow, okay?" Her eyes drooped, and she nodded her head. He pulled away from her, grabbing his shirt and handing it to her. She pulled it on and then settled back against her pillows, beneath the blankets. She yawned again, rolling onto her side, facing him. "I'm gonna go clean up the dishes."

"Wait. Please stay with me until I fall asleep?" Jesse smiled at Beca, lying down so that his face was lined up with hers. She closed her eyes, tucking her hands beneath her chin. He ran his hand through her hair, watching her as she relaxed. Her breathing started to become even, and after a few moments, he knew that she was asleep. He carefully pulled his hand from her hair and climbed out of the bed. He grabbed the tray of food with some difficulty (he really needed to take care of what was going on in his pants) and left the room.

He brought the dishes downstairs, cleaning up the kitchen after he unbuttoned and un-zippered his pants. When he was finished, he went up stairs, relieved to see that his erection had gone away. He paused in the hallway outside of his room, debating if he should go in there or if he should go back to Beca's room. It took him about a minute to decide that he had no plans for leaving her room and bed anytime soon (or ever, but he can't exactly get ahead of himself at this point). He snuck into her room, pulling off his jeans and climbing into the bed beside her. She shifted in her sleep, rolling so that she was pressed against him. He smiled into her hair as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, resting his arm over her waist. He closed his eyes, letting the sleep overcome him, with a big smile on his face. This was where he belonged, with Beca in his arms.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, so I know I'm probably going to do **_**some**_** damage control in the next chapter, because it was pretty much pure fluff in this chapter (and a hint of smut). Beca might seem like she kind of got over everything that happened with Jesse really fast, but she didn't. I'm gonna touch on that in the next chapter, because all is not forgiven between them. She just really needed an orgasm, okay? Haha! I know a lot of you were expecting a big blow up, and I honestly intended to have one, too, and to have Jesse discover that he was the father in a completely different way, but this is how it came out. **

**Go to my profile page and vote for sex of Jesse and Beca's baby! I already have the names picked out, but I want to get your input on whether it is a girl or a boy! Review, please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: Wow! So, of all the votes so far, it appears that you guys want Beca and Jesse to have a girl. You still have time to vote. I do not plan on revealing the sex of the baby until the next chapter, so you have time to continue voting! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!  
**

* * *

Beca woke with a start. She just had the worst dream in the world. It was awful. She found herself staring at Jesse's form, and it made her uncomfortable. She said she was able to forgive him the night before, but finding him in her bed freaked her out. She didn't know if she was able to forgive him that quickly; plus, she was completely embarrassed that she let him do what he did to her the night before. She hated that she succumbed to the hormones and her body's desires like that; she needed to keep boundaries between the two of them, because this wasn't a real relationship. If she were to let them keep doing what they started the night before, the line would get blurred; they would be friends (best friends) who had sex—isn't that essentially what a couple is? Essentially, the only difference between a couple in a relationship and friends are the fact that they had sex, right? She didn't want to be in a relationship with him, because this wasn't real; they were only married, because he needed to stay in the country. They were only going to be married for the next two years, and then it would be over. It would be complicated to figure out how to parent this baby separately, but they would learn.

Shit. Thinking of the baby made her think of her dream. She rolled onto her back and covered her face with her hands. Her bottom lip quivered, a sure sign that she was about to start crying. She pressed her fingers to her eyes, willing herself not to cry. She blew out a breath, trying to calm herself down. Oh, fuck. She needed to pee. She slid the covers back and did her best to climb out of the bed without disturbing him. She made her way into the bathroom, doing her business and washing her hands. She ran her brush through her hair, trying to comb out the tangles, before she threw it up into a messy bun on top of her head. She then brushed her teeth and washed her face, rubbing some moisturizer into the skin. When she was finished, she felt a little bit better, but she was still reeling from her dream. She made her way back into her room, torn between going back to bed (she was still so tired!) and going to get something to eat (she really wanted a baked potato—it was a weird craving, but she wanted a baked potato that was drenched in butter). She glanced between her bed and the door.

"Good morning," Jesse said sleepily from her bed. He sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. "You okay?" He must have noticed the conflicted look on her face. She hoped that she could pass it off as her internal debate between going to sleep or getting something to eat, and not what it was mainly from—between wanting to jumping him in bed or kicking him in the nuts for confusing the shit out of her.

"I'm exhausted, but I really want a baked potato. I can't decide if I want to go back to bed or go to the kitchen." He laughed, making her glare at him.

"Sorry, but a baked potato?" He asked through his chuckles. She crossed her arms, looking away from him.

"Shut up."

"Want me to make you a baked potato?" She didn't look at him, because she didn't want him to be nice at her like this. It was easier to hate him; it was easier to deal with just coexisting with him in this condo, because it meant that there was no confusion. She really wanted to say no, but she really wanted a baked potato. She finally nodded her head.

"I'm gonna get up anyway. If I went back to sleep now, I'd go back to the terrible dream I was having. Pregnancy dreams suck ass." She told him, walking over to her closet to slide her feet into her slippers. "Last week, I was dreaming about having a litter of puppies." She shook her head. "Seriously, I had five puppies—little yappy Pomeranians. They all started barking at once, and I was alone to deal with them all. It was insanity. I was so overwhelmed, but then they all licked my hand, and I felt better. It was the weirdest fucking dream I had ever had." He laughed, climbing out of the bed and walking over to her. He pressed a light kiss to her lips before dropping to his knees, lifting the shirt up. He was eye level with her stomach, and he brushed his fingers over her skin.

"Good morning, baby. How'd you sleep?" He said quietly, and she tried to ignore the way that her heart started pounding at the sight of him talking to their baby through her stomach. It was the kind of shit that made girls swoon, but she totally was not that kind of girl; the baby started kicking like crazy. He laid his ear against her stomach, like he was listening to the baby talk through her stomach. "Really? It was that good? Well, you're mommy is taking really good care of you." He said, pressing a kiss to her stomach, which made her want to jump him again. She blew out a breath as he stood up.

"You're an idiot."

"Why?"

"The baby can't hear anything yet. He or she just knows when someone is touching my stomach, probably because of my reaction." He smirked at her.

"And, you're reaction to me is the desire to climb me like a tree." She groaned, turning away from him.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. I think the baby can hear me. He or she knows I'm the daddy." He wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his hands over her stomach. He pressed a kiss to her neck. "So, how much do you still want that baked potato?" She groaned, letting her head fall back on his shoulder as he sucked at the skin on her neck.

"Jesse, stop. I need to eat something. I'm starving."

"Okay, then we eat first." He backed away from her, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room. She sighed in relief (and disappointment—what? After last night, she needed to have sex, like _real_ sex.). "What did you dream about? You said you had a bad dream, right?" He stopped in the hall bathroom where he left his toothbrush and toiletries. He quickly brushed his teeth while she answered his question.

"Yeah, it was awful." She said. "I dreamed that I was in this weird, dark house—like something out of a horror movie. It was falling apart and dark and smelled like a damp, dusty basement. It was a mess, with broken furniture and dirt everywhere." When he was done brushing his teeth, he grabbed her hand again, leading her down the stairs. "I wasn't pregnant anymore. I was running around the house, hearing a crying baby, but I couldn't find it. Finally, I found this room behind a trap door, and I found the baby in a crib, crying. I picked it up and held it, and then it disintegrated in my arms." She said, sitting down at the kitchen table while he started preparing her a baked potato and a mug of tea. "I started crying, trying to scrape all of the ash together, hoping to put the baby back together again." She wiped at her cheeks. The next part of the dream was even worse.

"You're anxious that you're not gonna be a good mom?" Jesse asked as he set a mug of tea in front of Beca. He sat down on the chair next to her, laying his hand on her arm. "I'm telling you right now, Beca; you're gonna be an amazing mom. You're an amazing person, despite your parents and how they raised you, and you've been a pretty spectacular wife, minus the sex thing, which I totally plan on rectifying all in the name of helping you out with your increased sex drive due to the pregnancy. You're good at taking care of people, and you're gonna take really great care of this baby." She looked away from him, because as much as she would love to continue having sex with him—she _needed_ to have sex—she couldn't do it. She was going to have to live with using a vibrator until she was too big to do it to herself.

"You were in my dream, too."

"Oh?"

"Not until the end. You came into the room, saw me trying to put all the ash of the baby back together, and you said that you were relieved, because now you could leave. Then, you left, and I was alone in this scary house with a pile of ash." She wrapped her arms around herself, because she didn't like to think about how that part of the dream was even worse than the part where the baby disintegrated in her arms (she knew that wasn't possible in real life; although, it was possible that the baby could die). Shit! Why did she think that? She started crying; stupid fucking hormones!

"Oh, Bec! You're crying! Don't cry. I'm not going anywhere." He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against his chest.

"No, I just realized what the disintegration of the baby symbolized. What if the baby dies?" She pressed her face into his neck, digging her nails into his bare back as she hugged him back.

"The baby's not going to die, Beca."

"We didn't get amniocentesis done, because I wanted to talk to you about it. I was scared that it would cause a miscarriage, and then you didn't know, and I didn't want to make that decision my own. What if the baby has something wrong with it? What if it has Tay-Sachs? You're Jewish." He laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't laugh at me!"

"Beca, are either one of your parents carriers for Tay-Sachs?" She shook her head.

"I don't think so."

"Then, we're probably good, even if I'm a carrier. I really don't think I am, though, but we can always get blood tests done to check ourselves out if it would make you feel better." She blew out a breath, sitting back. He wiped at her cheeks. "This baby is going to be fine, okay?"

"How can you be sure? What if it is sick or what if I drank too much when I didn't know I was pregnant? There are so many things that could go wrong."

"Yeah, there are, but this baby is going to be fine. Even if he or she has heart problems or is handicapped or any of that, I'm not going to love it any less, because it is our baby." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. He then rested his forehead against hers, laying his hands on her stomach. "This baby is going to know how much its parents love it every day." He kissed her then; it was light, not too much pressure. It was hesitant, like he didn't know if she would freak out over it, because it wasn't a kiss that had to do with sex, nor was it a kiss purely about comforting her. It was different, and it made her feel strange, because it did things to her heart and head. The baby was squirming in her stomach, reacting to her reaction. He pulled back, unsure. She swallowed before giving him a shy smile.

"Thank you for making me feel better." She said softly. He smiled back, pulling away from her.

"I think your baked potato is going to be done soon." He walked over to the oven, pulling the cookie sheet from it where he had put four baked potatoes. He wasn't sure how much she would want, and he might as well eat one or two himself. He warmed some butter in the microwave while he put the potatoes on a plate, cutting them open with a knife. When the butter was done warming, he put some on each on the potatoes, bringing the plate of potatoes and the butter plate to the table. She immediately reached for more butter, adding even more butter to one of the potatoes while he grabbed them forks to eat with. They began eating the potatoes, with him watching her as she practically inhaled her first one.

"This is so good." She said happily. He laughed, handing her a napkin to wipe the butter that dripped down her chin.

"I had a dream last night, too." He said as she started on her next potato. "It was a great dream."

"Lucky."

"Yeah, it wasn't as crazy as giving birth to a litter of puppies." He chuckled. "It was after you gave birth. You were sleeping in a hospital bed, and Brian came over to me, handing me the baby wrapped up in a light purple blanket. He smiled at me and said, 'Congratulations, it's exactly what you wanted.'"

"A purple blanket? You didn't dream what sex the baby was? What do you want to have?"

"That's just it, Beca. The baby was exactly what I wanted, because it was healthy and had all ten toes and fingers and perfect. It had brown hair on its head, and its eyes were blue, but I know that most babies are born with blue eyes anyway, so I don't know if that means that I want the baby to have blue eyes like you or if I was just subconsciously remembering that it is likely that the baby will have blue eyes after its born. It was perfect, but I didn't look to see what the sex of the baby was, because I didn't care. Whether it is a boy or a girl, I'm gonna be happy. The baby will be exactly what I want." She rolled her eyes, both at herself for tearing up again over what he said and at him because he was such a sappy asshole. "Hence, the purple blanket. Pink and blue make purple." She laughed, shaking her head.

"So, you really have no preference?"

"Nope. I'd be happy with either, because I'm into sports and music and movies and reading and all of that. No matter what our kid is into, I could probably find some way to get involved in it." Beca groaned, trying to keep the smile off of her face.

"I hate these stupid hormones."

"Why? You totally want to have your way with me right now, because you find it sexy that I'm talking about our baby." She stuck her tongue out at him, finishing off the last of her second potato.

"You're not allowed to take advantage of my increased sex drive anymore." She told him, pointing a finger at him as she started eating part of the third potato. He chuckled.

"I think the baby is trying to tell you that you're not eating enough." He told her as he watched her eat.

"I'm gonna blow up even more soon. We need to tell people."

"What if we throw a surprise party?"

"I was kidding about you singing Paul Anka, but I wasn't kidding about kicking you in the nuts if you were to sing that song to me." He rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm not going to sing that song to you." He shook his head, smiling. "But, we should throw a party, invite all of her friends and family, and then announce that we're pregnant."

"We're? I don't see your stomach being an incubator for a fetus, or your breasts getting huge and painful because they are starting to get ready for breast milk production, or any of the other crazy changes that are going on in my body. Oh, and you're not the one that is going to give birth, which I will equate to being like pushing a watermelon out of a hole about the size of a quarter. So, no, it is not 'we.'" He held his hands up.

"Sorry, you're right. You're the pregnant one." She nodded her head. "Anyways, we could announce it at the party."

"What are we going to do about baby stuff? People are going to ask about a nursery."

"Right, so we make my room into a nursery." She stared at him.

"Where will you sleep?"

"Well, considering I plan on rocking your world pretty much every night until this baby is born, and because I don't want to be far away from you if you need something, I will sleep in your room." Beca tried to control her breathing when Jesse said that, because it was a little _too_ _much_, but he didn't seem to notice. "Then, we can figure out all of that after the baby is born." She stared at him. What did he mean by that? They needed to figure out where to put his bed. She figured that they could clear out some space in the basement, which wasn't that bad at all, since it was carpeted and had electricity and stuff. It just needed to be spruced up some. She had no plans of letting him stay in her bed for the next five-ish months until the baby was born.

"You're not sleeping in my bed."

"Oh, yes, I am. What if you need something in the middle of the night? What if you go into preterm labor? What if you get horny in the wee hours of the morning and need me to help you out?" She rolled her eyes at him. "Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"

"I don't know. It would be nice to know if it is a boy or a girl, but that doesn't really mean anything, though. I don't like pink, so if it was a girl, I don't really want to paint the room pink."

"Obviously, the nursery is going to be purple." She laughed. "Purple and yellow, or purple and green, or purple and orange—any of those would work. And, we could do a rabbit or bird theme—they are neutral animals." It was cute that he was so excited about the baby. It was making her feel a little better about all of this. When they divorced, the baby would still have a really loving, devoted father, even if his or her parents weren't together. They would have to figure out a custody arrangement, like one week at her place and the next at his? Or, would the baby stay with her for the majority of the time and with him for the rest of it? Or, would they do two weeks with him and two weeks with her? Or, what about monthly? "What's going through your head right now?"

"I'm just thinking ahead to custody things when we get divorced. The kid would still be really young, two and a half, so does that mean that he or she should stay with me more? Or would we do weekly tradeoffs? Biweekly? Monthly with weekends at the other parent's? We need to keep it as structured and stable as possible, because as a kid of divorce, I know how much it sucks, especially when it feels like neither parent really wants you there." She looked up at him when he didn't say anything. His brow was furrowed, his jaw tensed, and his hands were in fists on the table. "What?"

"I hate thinking about it." He said quietly. She frowned, not knowing what he meant. "I never intended to get divorce, you know? I planned on going into a marriage with the hopes that it would last forever, that we were soul mates or something cheesy like that. I certainly never intended to have a kid and then get divorced. I know that things don't always work out between two people, but I didn't want that for my family, you know?"

"Yeah, I know you didn't." She said quietly. He told her about his parents—how in love they were, how happy their family was. She didn't know what that was like, because her parents weren't happy for most of her childhood, and then they divorced. She never really saw what he had growing up, so she didn't get it, but she did understand why he was upset. Love and marriage and family were a huge deal to him. Their situation got a hell of a lot more complicated now that she was pregnant, because the divorce affected more than the two of them: it impacted the life of a baby. He or she would be a statistic—a child of divorced parents, who would never really know where he or she belonged. No true permanent home. While she knew that it would probably be better for the child to stay with one parent on a permanent basis but with the other parent for as much as possible, she couldn't do that to either one of them. Now that she had this baby inside of her, she didn't want it away from her anytime soon; she was sure that Jesse felt the same way, and it was going to be hard enough the times that they were apart from the baby. "We'll figure it out. Our baby will be okay."

"Yeah, we'll figure it out." He still looked disappointed.

"So, we can find out the sex of the baby at the ultrasound, hopefully."

"What if we surprised ourselves and everyone else at the party? Like, we plan the party, tell people you're pregnant, and since Brian will be there with Jessica, we can have him tell us what we're having then. Maybe we could do cupcakes for everyone else and then a little cake for us."

"We should have it written on the cake. Congrats, it's a…whatever." She bit her lip. "I really want cake now."

"Well, you just ate three potatoes."

"Yeah, I should eat something healthy." She stood up and went into the fridge, pulling out the sliced strawberries. She walked back to the table, grabbing a fresh fork along the way. She sat down again, stabbing the fruit with the fork, popping it into her mouth. "Yum."

"It's so weird to see you eat so much. Don't get me wrong, you were no dainty eater before, but you just ate three baked potatoes and now you're eating fruit." She shrugged.

"I just can't get fat." He looked at her like she was crazy. "A healthy amount of weight to gain during pregnancy is about twenty five pounds. I don't want to gain too much. It's not good for the baby." She said eating another strawberry. "But, I can feel like my body is craving more. I'm always hungry now, because the baby is taking so much of it."

"Then, keep eating, but make sure that you eat healthy things. Small amounts spread out throughout they day."

"You should read a baby book. We can share mine." She told him, eating another strawberry. He grabbed the fork from her to eat his own strawberry. She pouted and then grinned when he returned it to her.

"I would love to read the baby book. When do we get signed up for childbirth classes?"

"I've been looking for local ones. I only knew what my schedule allows, but now that you know about the baby—that it is yours—you're gonna go, too, right?"

"Of course. I'm also going to be in the room with you when you deliver."

"Nope."

"Yes."

"Nope."

"Yes! Beca, this is my baby, too. I've been up close and personal with what's between your legs already, so I think I can handle being around when you're giving birth."

"You know, this might work. Seeing me give birth might deter you from wanting to come near it ever again." She smiled as she ate another strawberry.

Jesse smirked, studying Beca's pleased expression. "I hate to break it to you, Becs, but that's pretty much the farthest thing from the truth. We already know that I'm attracted to you sexually, but it's like a caveman mentality right now—the idea of you having my baby only makes you more attractive. So, I'm definitely going to enjoy the next few months of getting to have sex with you, because of your pregnancy hormones." She swallowed, because, _shit_, that wasn't fair. She couldn't control her own desire to screw him from sunup to sundown when she knew that he wanted her just as much. She stabbed a strawberry rather forcefully.

"I said you can't take advantage of my hormones." She pouted.

"I want to take advantage of your hormones right now." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Not gonna happen, Romeo." She said, rolling her eyes.

"But, it will, Juliet. You'll see. You want this." He joked waving his hand up and down his body. She rolled her eyes again. "I'm gonna go get in the shower. I would offer you to join me, but I think we both know you're gonna say no. I recommend that you shower as well, because we're going out."

"Going where?"

"We're gonna go look at paint for the nursery. I want to get that painted as soon as possible so that we don't have to worry about paint fumes hurting the baby. Plus, I want to start looking at furniture and stuff. Oh, we should get registered at baby stores and such, which we can give out at the end of the party, since everyone is going to be invited to your baby shower. Oh, speaking of the party, we have to start planning that, too. So, time to get up, wifey. We gotta busy Saturday ahead of us."

* * *

Beca and Jesse first went to a baby store to get custom furniture. She knew that you start with the furniture first and then plan the decorations around that first instead of attempting to find something that matched the way that the room was painted or carpeted. They found a white wooden crib and changing table that she really liked. Once they ordered the furniture, which would be delivered after it was built in about a week or so, they then walked around the store, looking at the different décor and knickknacks. As they were walking around, debating what kind of theme they wanted the nursery to have, she found herself drawn to a series of different colored butterflies to hang on the wall. She had always been fascinated by butterflies. She ran her fingers over the large, wooden butterfly that was painted a dark purple. She noticed that it was painted similarly to bedding that she had seen in the bedding aisle, and she wondered if they were part of a set.

"Hey, Beca, look at this cute rabbit I found." He held up a light brown rabbit that was probably about the size that the baby would be when it was born, with long floppy ears and a pink embroidered nose. Its eyes and mouth was also embroidered on the face of the doll, making it chew- and suck-friendly for the baby or toddler. She smiled at the rabbit.

"It looks like Peter Rabbit. We have to get it." She told him, glancing back at the butterflies.

"You like the butterflies?" She nodded her head.

"They're not exactly unisex friendly in today's societal standards, so we don't have to get them." She ran her fingers over the dark purple butterfly one last time. "I really like the symbolism that butterflies can stand for—growth, transformation, reinvention, and the idea that one can go far in life once he or she has fully grown. Like a baby growing into an adult, you know? It starts out as the larvae, then the caterpillar, then the caterpillar goes into its cocoon, and after sometime, it breaks out as a beautiful butterfly that can fly away as far as it wants, but it generally stays close to the home it has known for its entire life." She shrugged her shoulders. "Unless it doesn't have a good home, and it needs to find somewhere safer, better." She grabbed the stuffed rabbit from his hands. "This is great. The baby will love it."

"We don't need to plan the entire nursery now. We don't know what we're having. We know that we want purple, and that is it. Once we find out the sex of the baby, we can come back here and finish planning what it looks like. I think it will be okay if I don't paint the nursery for another few weeks." She nodded her head. "For what it's worth, I really like the butterflies, too. If we're having a girl, I really want to do the butterflies. I would say that we could do the butterflies with a boy, too, but you know that people are going to be annoying about it. I honestly think that it would be cool to have a gay son—we'd never have to deal with teen pregnancy scares." She laughed, hugging the rabbit against her chest.

"You're an idiot." She laughed. They made their way towards the counter to buy the stuffed rabbit. Their first and only baby item, except the crib and changing table, purchased. They spent the rest of the day registering for baby items, like glass bottles, bottle warmers, cloth diapers and pins, rattles, stuffed animals, et cetera. They decided to purchase the bigger and more expensive items for themselves, such as stroller and breast pump.

"Didn't you have plans to breastfeed?"

"Yes, but I'm going to have to go back to work eventually after my maternity leave is up. I'm going to see about working from home as much as possible or only going back to work part-time after my maternity leave is finished, but if that doesn't work, then I'm going to have to pump and bottle feed her. I have to look at Wharton's maternity leave policies to see how long I'm home. I also have to start thinking about how long I want to breastfeed the baby for." She chewed on her bottom lip as they left the store.

Jesse grabbed Beca's hand and led her in the direction opposite of his car. "There is a diner nearby that we can go to for lunch. You're probably starving." She nodded her head, pressing a hand to her stomach.

"That is an understatement." He chuckled, interlacing their fingers as they walked in the direction of the diner. She tried to keep her breathing steady, because people smiled at them as they walked by, seeing the bag in her hands with the baby store's logo on it, the obvious swell of her belly beneath one of her more-fitted maternity shirts, and their attached hands. They looked like the perfect, happy, married couple. It made her feel a little uncomfortable to get so much attention, but she didn't want to release his hand, because it was warm and comforting.

* * *

That night, even though it was beyond difficult for her to say no to him (because, really, she wanted nothing more than to allow him to turn her entire body into a pile of jelly), she refused to have sex with him. She claimed that she was tired (which was true) and that she only wanted to go to sleep that night. He seemed a little disappointed, but he pulled her against his chest, saying that he should use him rather than the body pillow to get comfortable. Even though it felt strange for her, it also felt nice to be able to feel and hear his heart beating through the skin of his chest and to feel his warmth pressed against her. It was the first time she felt well-rested since discovering that she was pregnant, even more than the night before when she finally felt sexually satisfied for the first time since she discovered she was pregnant. She knew that she had to learn to deal with her sexual desire, because she didn't want their relationship to get any more complicated that it was. As hard as it would be to say no, it would be even harder on them if she were to say yes.

* * *

**Author's Note: I don't plan for there to be any big blow up; in the author's note at the end of last chapter, I meant that Beca was going to shut down a little after letting her hormones take over when she was still kind of pissed at and hurt by Jesse. This is why she is kind of standoffish with him during this chapter—she feels confused by their relationship and how it is changing because of the baby. Next up is the big reveal not only to all of their friends but also of the baby's sex! I'm pretty excited for it. Even though I'm pretty sure that it will wind up being a girl, you guys still have time to keep voting! Let me know what you think of this chapter!**

**I wrote it when I should have been writing to papers for my classes! Yikes! Early morning tomorrow and lots of coffee for me!**


	12. Chapter 12

**My Fake Husband **

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: Change of plans. This chapter is purely all about sex for Beca and Jesse. Don't read if you're not into that kind of thing. Basically, once they started, they couldn't really stop. Nothing like a Sunday Fun-day, right? Haha. There is a little bit of fluff at the very end that isn't sex but more about cuteness…that just happens to be naked. Okay, I'm done. I feel like I might need to go to confessional after this chapter, and I'm not even Catholic (or religious at all). Enjoy! ;) **

**I do recommend that if you skip the sex, then you go to the final section of this story and read that stuff. That part is important for the rest of the story, but the rest was just for your reading pleasure. **

* * *

Beca tried; she really did, but when you have dreams about being considered the hottest woman in the world, and every (okay, so it wasn't exactly _every_, but it was pretty damn close) hot man in the world told her as much and then proceeded to do the most amazing things to her body (despite her slightly swollen ankles and more than slightly swollen belly), it is kind of hard not to wake up wanting sex. She opened her eyes after the fiftieth hot man came to her (how was her dream self not tired or in pain, because that would be a lot of penetration—for the first time, she felt like the word was appropriately used in that context), glancing at her clock, because she was wide awake, soaked _everywhere_, heart pounding, chest heaving, and in serious need of an orgasm. It was half-past three in the morning, so she should be sleeping—thank God it was Sunday and she could sleep in once she finally fell back to sleep.

She really did try to close her eyes and go back to sleep, but she couldn't. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. She could try to open the door to her bedside table and grab her new _friend_ and take it into the bathroom, or she could try to discreetly use her fingers without disturbing the half-naked man in bed beside her. Oh, fuck…there was a half-naked man in her bed; one who was more than willing to screw her brains out. No. _No_, Beca! She couldn't let herself do that. She couldn't give in. She knew that it would only screw things up. She needed to stop. Roll over. Ignore him. Oh, good, she was rolling over. Wait, shit. _Wrong_ _way_.

Beca found that her body was rolling over on its own, facing him. She studied his sleeping form; his dark eyelashes were so long and dark against his pale skin. His lips were parted slightly, and he licked his bottom lip in his sleep. He was on his back, with his face turned in her direction; she studied the slight hint of stubble on his chin from not shaving his face that morning. He swallowed in his sleep, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the column of his throat, watching as his Adam's apple bobbed. Her eyes traced down his throat to slight dip of his clavicles. God, how could someone's clavicles be sexy? Next, her eyes moved down his chest, taking in the light smattering of hair and freckles. Her eyes continued down from his chest to his stomach, where she could see the lightly defined muscles of his abs, the dip of hips, and the trail of hair that began beneath his belly button that disappeared beneath the sheet and the waistband of his boxers. Oh, fuck it, she thought.

She reached out, running her fingers along his chin; he shifted in his sleep, but he didn't wake. Her fingertips slid from his jaw down his neck, scraping her nails lightly along his skin; again, he slept through her touch, so she got bolder. She ran her fingers over his chest, down his stomach, tracing the shape of his abs; he moaned lightly in his sleep, but he didn't stir. She smiled to herself as she leaned over, pressing her lips to the center of his chest lightly as her fingers slipped down the trail of hair and slid beneath the band of his boxers. Her hand grazed him between his legs, and she raised her head to see if he woke. He smiled and hummed in his sleep, but she felt his dick twitch beneath her hand. Well, if he wasn't going to be a good boy, she was going to have to wake him another way.

Beca slid beneath the covers, carefully easing Jesse out his boxers. Gripping him lightly in her hand, she lowered her mouth onto him, sucking the tip of his dick into her mouth. "What the—oh, _fuck_," she heard him groan, and she smiled, knowing he was finally awake. She felt the covers lift off of her head, and she heard him groan again. She raised her eyes to meet his as she sucked a little harder on him. "Best fucking way to wake up," he moaned. His hand slid beneath the covers to run through her hair as she took more of him in her mouth, feeling his dick harden in her mouth. "Not that…_shit_…I'm complaining…but…but…_God_!" His hand tightened in her hair as she slipped him almost completely out of her mouth and used her hand to stroke him lightly as she sucked on the tip. "What brought this on?"

She released him from her mouth and continued to stroke him, getting him harder by the second. "I had another dream." She told him, watching him as she stroked him. "I dreamed about very attractive men screwing me repeatedly. After the fiftieth hot guy having sex with me, I decided that I needed to get laid, but you were too busy sleeping."

"Fifty guys?" He gasped as she took him into her mouth again, still using her hand to work the part of him that wasn't in her mouth. "I feel like I should be offended that it took fifty guys before you decided to take advantage of me in my sleep." He groaned, making her chuckle around him. "Shit, you're good at this." She released him again.

"Thanks," she smiled, speeding up her hand. "You about there yet? I kind of want your dick inside of me like yesterday."

"Fuck," his head fell back on the pillow. "_God_, I wish. I just woke up." He moaned when her other hand began to work him. "Do you want me to help you out until I'm ready?" She slithered out from beneath the blankets, lying down beside him, resuming jerking him off beneath the blankets, feeling his erection grow.

"I really need to have you inside of me. I'll probably be ready to go back to sleep once I get off, like last time. I don't want it to be by your hand or mouth."

Jesse groaned, kissing Beca; his hands tangled into her hair. He rolled her onto her back, trapping her hand between them. His tongue dueled with hers, and she moaned into the kiss, wrapping her left leg around his waist. The hand that wasn't trapped between them, scraped along the back of his neck, making him groan and jerk his hips into her. He released her hair, bracing one of his hands on the bed to support his weight, and raised off of her body. The other hand slipped between them to slide off his boxers completely, kicking them off his ankles under the blankets. He kneeled between her legs, helping her to sit up so he could pull her t-shirt over her head. He kissed her again, once, before moving his lips down her jaw to behind her ear. He sucked on the skin there for a few moments, with one hand gripping and massaging her breast, and the other pressed into her back, holding her against him. He kissed down her neck, sucking on her shoulder, making her moan. He broke away from her, staring down at her with eyes that were so dark, they were nearly black.

The hand on her breast slid to her stomach, and he stroked it for a moment. "Time for a nap, baby." He said, grinning at her wolfishly. He closed the distance between them, kissing her hard. He used both of his hands to push her shorts and panties off of her hips. She helped him, using her shoulders as support as she lifted her hips to let him push her pants off her completely. He pulled them past her thighs, down her legs, and tugged them off her feet, throwing them over his shoulder. He stroked between her legs, finding her soaked. He groaned, breaking the kiss to lean his forehead against her. "You ready?" He asked as he slid two fingers inside of her.

Beca moaned, rolling her head away from Jesse's, resting it on his shoulder. "I need you."

"What position?" They moaned in unison, her because he stroked her clit with his thumb and him because she squeezed her pelvic muscles around his fingers.

"Doesn't matter."

"Aren't there certain positions for pregnant women?"

"I'm not that big yet." She jerked against his hand when his thumb hit her clit again. "Fuck, I need you inside me _now_." He chuckled, pressing his lips to her ear to pull his fingers from her. He stroked them over himself, using her arousal to lubricate himself. He pushed her back onto the pillows, rubbing himself against her, and they both groaned. "Now, Jesse." She said, digging her nails into his biceps, raising her hips to meet his.

Jesse locked eyes with Beca, and he guided himself into her, stopping when the tip of his dick was inside of her. He was still kneeling between her legs; he moved his hands to the back of her thighs, his fingertips digging into her skin. Using his hands, he spread her a little further for him before sliding his hands up beneath her but to her hips; gripping her hips in his hands, he thrust into her, making them both moan. Her eyes rolled back into her head. He pulled back, doing it again. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him against her body by his neck. Their lips met, and he continued to push himself in and out of her body, her hips meeting his with every thrust. She moaned against his lips, and she gasped when she felt the baby kicking in her stomach. She broke the kiss, laughing slightly at the sensation. "Are you laughing?" He groaned, grinding against her, making her laugh turn into a moan. She grabbed one of his hands from her hips and placed it on her stomach. "Hey, little one, I told you it was nap time." He said, stopping. "Am I hurting the baby?" He asked her.

"No, _God_, don't stop." She whimpered, jerking her hips against him, trying to get him to move again.

"Why is the baby freaking out right now? What if I'm hurting him or her? I don't want to traumatize our baby." He said, holding onto her hip to stop her movement. She groaned.

"Jesse, the baby isn't getting hurt. My vagina and uterus are two separate places."

"I _know_ that, but what if they baby is trying to tell us that I'm crushing it or something."

"We're not. I will tell you if you're too heavy, but if it will make you feel better, let's change positions. I would love to be on top if it would mean that I get to have sex." She said, tightening her pelvic muscles around his dick, making him groan and his head fall back.

"Beca, the baby is obviously freaking out; he or she is kicking like crazy. I really don't want to hurt it."

"He or she is happy. It feels good." His eyes widened, and she chuckled momentarily at the look on his face. "Not like that, pervert. I'm feeling good, which makes the baby feel good. If the baby wasn't moving like this when we were having sex, it would mean that there was something wrong. Please keep going._ I need to fuck you_." He stared down at her, still feeling the fluttering of the baby's movements beneath his hand in her stomach. Grabbing hold of both of her hips, he rolled over onto his back, bringing her with him.

Beca squealed when Jesse flipped them over. "I'd feel more comfortable like this. Just in case." She nodded her head, resting both of her hands onto his chest. She raised her hips, almost pulling off of him completely. She then dropped herself back down, moaning at how deep he felt. She ground against him before repeating the pattern. His hands slipped up her sides to cup her breasts, tugging at her nipples. Her pace increased as her pleasure increased. He sat up, sliding one hand around her back and the other between them to rub her clit. His lips locked onto hers, and they rocked into each other. After a few moments, she felt herself tumble over the edge and she cried out into the kiss.

He pulled away from her, guiding her by the hips off of him. He turned her over, changing their position again. Kneeling behind her, he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping on hand around her to rub both of her breasts (one with his hand and the other with his inner forearm), and the other wrapped around her waist to rub her clit. He thrust into her repeatedly, kissing her neck and shoulder as she moaned, resting the back of her head on his shoulder. After a few moments, she felt herself tumbled over the edge once again. A few thrusts later, he followed her, biting onto her shoulder and moaning.

Beca fell forward, her face pressed into the pillows. She grunted when she felt Jesse lean over her, pressing a few kisses to her dampened skin on the back of her neck. "Anytime you want to wake me up like that, please don't hesitate." He said against her skin. He pulled back, picking her up so that he could settle in the center of the bed, lying on his side, facing her with his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her against his chest. He reached for the blanket, pulling them over them and then returning his arm to her waist. He studied her face, which was red, damp from sweat, and her eyes were drooping from exhaustion. There was a smile on her lips, and it made him smile. He pressed a kiss to her lips. "How are you feeling now?" He asked against her lips.

"So good," she moaned. Her eyes fell shut; she wasn't lying at all. She felt fantastic, a hell of a lot better than she had felt in quite some time. He was so goddamn good in bed that it took her breath away. She yawned against him face, making him chuckle. He kissed her lightly again, rolling onto his back. She settled onto his chest, tucking her head under his chin to bury her face slightly into his neck.

"Goodnight, Beca," he whispered. His fingertips stroked up and down her back, making her shiver under the blankets and snuggle closer to him. He pressed a kiss to her hair, and she felt his smile. "Get some sleep; the baby needs it after that." She hummed her agreement into his neck. Within a few moments, the two of them were asleep.

* * *

Beca's eyes flew open, a moan slipping from her lips when she felt Jesse's mouth begin sucking on one of her nipples and his fingers tug at the other. She looked down at him, kneeling on the bed between her legs, balancing his weight on one forearm as he went to town on her chest. Okay, this is an excellent way to wake up, even if her head was still cottony from sleep. She closed her eyes again, just enjoying the sensations that came from his lips and fingers on her skin. She felt herself begin to dampen between her legs, especially because of his erection that was pressed against her thigh. Yeah, she wanted to have some hate sex right now, because she was sleeping, and he woke her up. She was simultaneously pissed and pleased with this impromptu wakeup. She moaned again when he switched to the other breast. She tangled her hand into his hair. "I kind of hate you right now. I'm so tired after last night." She groaned, feeling him laugh against her skin. He began to kiss down her stomach, using his hands on both of her breasts. He pressed several kisses to the swell of her stomach beneath her belly button.

"Good morning, baby. Mommy is going to feel really good in a few minutes, so you're gonna start kicking like crazy." He said to her stomach. The baby did begin kicking, making her laugh at the sensation. "This baby totally can hear me." He told her, looking up at her. She was biting her lip and staring back at him. With their eyes locked, he placed one final kiss on her stomach before sliding completely beneath the blankets to settle between her legs, using his shoulders to spread her legs further apart.

The first swipe of Jesse's tongue between her legs made Beca cry out. She rocked her hips against his mouth, and he removed one hand from her breast to drape across her waist, holding her hips down. He continued to lick from the bottom to the top of her sex, making her moan. She gripped the sheets in her fists, trying her hardest to rock against him. It felt so good. _Fuck_. She thought that he had talented fingers, but his mouth was even better; she shouldn't be surprised, because he was a phenomenal kisser, so why wouldn't his mouth be equally talented below the belt? She moaned loudly, slightly frustrated that he was barely showing her clit any attention. She pouted when he briefly stroked his tongue inside of her, making her even wetter than before. "Jesse," she whined, and he chuckled against her core. "More, _please_?" She hoped that begging would get her further, but it earned her nothing but a quick flick of his tongue against her clit before going back to what he was doing before. She was so turned on, and she just needed to finish and go back to sleep. He was stretching this out, and it was driving her batshit crazy.

She groaned, deciding to take matters into her own hands, _literally_. She reached down and grabbed the sides of his head, pulling him where she wanted him: her clit. He laughed against it, licking her lightly before moving his face away from her. "I love that you're taking control right now, but do you think that you could release my ears? I'm afraid you're gonna tear them off." She immediately released his ears, sliding her hands into his hair instead, scraping her nails along his scalp. She bit her lip when he groaned against her, sucking her clit into his mouth. Her head fell back against the pillow, and she moaned loudly. His hand moved from her breast to the inside of her thigh. He spread her thighs even farther apart, stroking on the inside of her thighs with his fingers, making her whimper at the goose bumps that erupted on her body.

Beca jerked her hips when two of Jesse's fingers slid inside of her. She knew that she was so close; he switched between shallow and deep thrusts of his fingers, pressing on _that_ spot inside of her on his deeper thrusts. He also switched between sucking hard on her clit and flicking it repeatedly, quickly with his tongue. The sensations were so intense, and she clamped her eyes shut, gripping the back of his head, pressing him close to her. For a moment, she was afraid that she was suffocating him, but then her arousal took over, letting that thought slip from her head as she chased her orgasm. "Oh, _God_. So close…" She moaned. He slid a third finger inside of her, pressing deep inside of her, and sucked hard at her clit. She cried out, her orgasm taking her by surprise. After a few moments, she pushed his head away from her, because it was getting to be too much.

He grabbed her by the hips, flipping her over onto her stomach. He pulled her up onto her hands and knees, sliding into her from behind. He pulled back, before thrusting into her again, and she met his hips with hers, pressing back against him. He leaned over, pressing his lips to her back, his fingers digging into her hips as he pushed himself in and out of her. On one of times he pulled out of her, she shifted her position, holding onto the headboard so that her body was raised slightly. She felt him grin into her back, kissing his way to her neck, where he bit down on her shoulder as he thrust into her again. She rolled her head to the side, allowing him more access to her throat. His thrusts continued to hit _that_ spot inside of her, and she kept her eyes closed as she just let herself feel. The baby was kicking wildly inside of her, which was only slightly awkward for her to think about. Last night (or, rather, _technically_, earlier that morning), she had been so caught up that she didn't _care_, but the baby was essentially witnessing their almost _depraved_, most definitely _desperate_ race towards an orgasm. She knew that it wouldn't always be like this, she didn't always have multiple orgasms repeatedly two days in a row; sometimes, it was actually hard for her to fully get there, which was the beauty of typically only having flings—she would never have to deal with seeing that person again after she faked it with them. She almost wished that she could be pregnant for the rest of her life (not really, but sort of)—if it meant that she continued to have five orgasms over the course of two days (four in one day, _technically_).

She felt herself reaching that point again, and she felt him slip both of his hands around her. One began working her between her legs, getting her to that point even faster, while the other was splayed on her stomach, acting almost as a calming presence for the baby who settled down slightly, allowing her to enjoy the moment more without being freaked out by the baby's voyeuristic moment. She cried out when she finally reached that point. With a few more thrusts, he followed her. They didn't move for a moment, staying connected by the hips, waiting for their breathing to even out. After a few moments, he pulled out of her and fell backwards onto the bed; his head was hanging slightly over the bottom of it. She turned around, stretching out beside him, running a hand down her face. She was in dire need of a shower after what she had started earlier and what he had started a half hour before.

* * *

"Fuck, pregnancy sex is awesome." Jesse said after a few moments.

"I was just thinking how fucking awesome it would be to this pregnant for the rest of my life." Beca said, fanning her face with her hand, trying to cool down some. "I'm not too big to feel unattractive, no weird cravings so far, no more nausea, no period, and crazy sex drive? Yes, please."

"I will happily help you out on this. As soon as the doctor gives you the okay, I will happily get you pregnant again." She smacked his chest with the back of his hand, which he grabbed in his, raising it to press a kiss on it. "I'm not kidding. I love your body like this. I don't know why you think that there will be a time when you're not sexy, because I have officially decided there is nothing sexier than a woman who is pregnant." He rolled over to face her, tangling his hand into her hair to turn her face towards his in order to stare into her eyes. "You're gorgeous, Beca. You always have been to me, and pregnancy has only made you more attractive."

She blushed, looking away from him, because she didn't know why he insisted on telling her how special she was to him, or how beautiful she was to him all of the time; it confused the shit out of her—made her heart and stomach do weird things. Surely, it was just the pregnancy hormones that were making her confused, because they heightened everything—she _felt_ everything so _much_ _more_ _clearly_. She still felt sexy now, so it wasn't a problem, but when she was a huge, swollen, _fat_ mess, she definitely wasn't going to feel sexy or beautiful or gorgeous. She didn't want him to lie to her, because it would only hurt her.

"Stop hiding from me," Jesse whispered, sliding his hand down Beca's cheek to turn her face back towards him. "You're beautiful." He said, kissing her; it was sweet, not sex-fueled at all. It was passionate, but it wasn't demanding or trying to put her back into the mood for sex. She pulled back, sliding a hand over her lips, because she totally just realized that they had kissed for the first time that morning, and they didn't brush their teeth. She sat up and attempted to slide her fingers through her knotted mess of hair. "What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up to kiss her shoulder. She realized that he was confused by why she pulled away from him, obviously thinking he did something to upset her, so she relaxed into him, laying the side of her head against his forehead.

"I can't kiss you with morning breath; it would totally ruin how awesome this morning was if I had stinky breath." He chuckled, pressing another kiss to her shoulder.

"Your breath is fine. Was mine bad?" She shook her head, but she still didn't want to kiss him until her teeth were brushed. Plus, she really wanted to shower. She eased away from him, climbing out of the bed. She walked into her bathroom, suddenly realizing how much she needed to pee. She quickly went to the bathroom, washing her hands. She added some toothpaste to her toothbrush and began scrubbing her teeth gently.

"I'm gonna shower. Want to join me?" Beca said around the toothbrush as she leaned back in doorway. "I recommend that you brush your teeth." She told Jesse before stepping back into the bathroom to turn on the warm water. She heard him tumble out of her bed, cursing when his body hit the floor.

She walked to the doorway and stared at him, seeing him tangled up in one of the sheets on the floor. She laughed, shaking her head. He winked, untangling himself from the blanket and followed her into the bathroom. She finished brushing her teeth, rinsing her mouth out and brushing through her hair while he grabbed his toothbrush from the cup where he had left it the night before. It was the only item of his that he had brought into her bathroom, which took her a moment to get used to. She climbed under the warm spray, and she ignored the fact that he was peeing in her toilet about two feet away from her.

A few moments later, he slid behind the curtain, coming up behind her, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. He turned them around so that he was under the spray; he reached for her mango-scented shampoo from the shelf, squirting a small amount into his hand. He rubbed his hands together before sliding them through her hair, massaging her scalp with his nails. She closed her eyes, leaning her head into his fingers. She pulled away from him after a few moments, taking the shampoo bottle from the shelf where he had returned it. She squirted some into her hand, returning the bottle to the shelf. They traded positions again, and he rinsed the soap from her hair with his hands while she stood on her toes to wash his hair. When they were finished washing each other's hair, they repeated the process with the conditioner.

Jesse grabbed Beca's loufa from where it was hanging on the hook by her shelf, squirting some of her body wash into it; he stroked it along her arms, chest, breasts, and stomach. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of him washing her body. She opened them to find that he had gotten onto his knees in front of her, washing her legs and feet. He pressed a light kiss to her stomach, and she almost opened her mouth to say that she wasn't ready to have sex again, but he stood up, grabbing her hip with one hand to turn her around. He repeated the process, washing her back, butt, and legs. She grabbed her razor and the loufa from his hands; she quickly shaved her underarms while he squirted some of the soap into his hand to wash his body.

She chuckled at his groan when she bent over to quickly shave her legs. When she was finished and had returned the loufa and her razor to their proper places, she pushed him more firmly under the warm spray of the water, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her body firmly against him, groaning slightly when her breasts stroked against his chest. They were still very sensitive. She kissed him forcefully, trying to mold him to her body. His hands slid around her waist, pulling her even closer to him (if that was even possible). She moaned into the kiss, and she slid one of her hands down his chest towards his stomach and in the direction of his dick, but he stopped her before she got there.

"This wasn't about sex, Beca," Jesse said, leaning his forehead against Beca's. "We don't have to have sex again. I just wanted to do something nice for you—be close to you." He said, and she knew that he was referring to him washing her hair and body. He was worshipping her body in a way that wasn't intended to be sexual. He was showing her how much he found her attractive, because he knew she was still feeling insecure about it. She nodded her head, kissing him lightly. "Let's feed that baby of ours. I'm sure you're probably starving." She didn't realize that he was right until he said it, and she felt her stomach shudder. He turned the water off, opening the curtain and stepping out of the tub. He grabbed a towel from the shelf where she kept them stacked, wrapping it around his hips before grabbing a second one. He helped her out of the shower, running the towel over her body, drying her off. He then moved the towel to her hair, drying it slightly. She took the towel from his hands, wrapping it around her body. She then began to brush through her hair with her comb while he finished drying himself off. He pressed a kiss on her shoulder before disappearing from the bathroom to go get dressed.

She smiled to herself as she began rubbing lotion all over her body. Even though she was feeling confused about what sex meant between them, she didn't want to think about it. He was so sweet and attentive to her and the baby, and the things that he did to her body were outstanding. She was going to enjoy having sex with him, and she wasn't going to think about the complications that it brought. She didn't want to worry about how strange things were going to be for them when the baby was born and things changed (let alone how weird things were going to be when they divorced in a few years). She paused when she felt the sharp stab in her gut (and, _no_, there _wasn't_ a sharp pain in her chest, as well) at the thought of their divorce. She shook her head, because that is what they planned. They didn't want a real relationship; this was all fake. She was just getting caught up in the hormones from the pregnancy. When she finished with the lotion, she made her way back into her room to get dressed. She jumped when she felt him come up to her while she pulled her shirt over her head. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head when it emerged from the hole in the neck of the shirt. "Hey," he smiled at her. She smiled back at him, trying to keep her confusion and slight discomfort from her face. She didn't want him to know that she was confused about what was going on between them. He leaned over, kissing her lightly before dropping to his knees to talk to the baby. "Hi, little one. Daddy's here. What do you want mommy to eat for a late breakfast? I promise that daddy is going to leave mommy alone for awhile so that you two relax." She laughed, shaking her head when he winked at her. "Don't worry, though; he will be back later." She rolled her eyes at him.

"I want a huge plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and toast. And, I want you to make it." Beca said, tugging Jesse by the hand to make him stand up. He wrapped a hand around her waist, pulling her against his side to walk them out of her room. "If this music composition thing doesn't work out for you, I totally think you should open a restaurant or something and feed me from sunup to sundown." He laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as they headed down the steps. "You laugh, but I'm not kidding. I'm never making food again. That's all you."

"I'm glad that you enjoy my cooking. You're a great cook, too, Beca." He said. "We should make food together more often, like the pizza night."

"That was fun, until you told me that you cheated on your ex with me. _Twice_." He groaned, shaking his head.

"You swore to me that you've let that go!"

"I have!"

"You keep bringing it up!"

"Because it isn't me!"

"I know that. I know that you're not that kind of person. I'm sorry that I made you that kind of person. I was drunk both times, and I was totally into you, so I just did it." She froze slightly when she heard him say that he was into her; surely, he meant that as being attracted to her, not as meaning that he _liked_ her as anything other than a friend or someone to tease and harass for fun. He didn't seem to realize that there was anything off about what he said, because he kept talking. "I don't regret those kisses, though, because I think they helped ensure that you agreed to marry me. Without them—without our history—it would have been easier to say no." There it was; the confirmation that this wasn't real between them. She tried to ignore the way that her stomach tightened and her heart actually stopped beating for a moment (not really, but it felt like it!) when she heard him say that. She needed to remember that this wasn't real. _They weren't real. _Stupid fucking pregnancy hormones—they confuse the shit out of her for no reason.

* * *

**Author's Note: It looks like Beca is starting to **_**really feel something**_** (which she is blaming on the pregnancy). Ahhh! Don't forget to review, everyone! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 13**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: This chapter is all about Amy and Bumper finding out about the baby, and some serious introspection on Beca's part. The next chapter will have the announcement, finally. I intended to have it in this chapter, but the Beca/Jesse and Amy/Beca stuff kind of took over. Not sure when I will be able to get started on chapter 14, because I'm swamped with the end of the semester.  
**

* * *

Four days later, Beca rushed around the kitchen in the evening, preparing dinner for herself, Jesse, Bumper, and Amy. After much deliberation, the two of them decided that they had to tell Bumper and Amy before they told everyone else at the party that was coming up in two Saturdays. Amy and Bumper knew the marriage was a farce, so they couldn't exactly tell them with everyone else. Beca was preparing a huge spaghetti dinner, complete with her homemade meatballs that Amy loved and fresh baked Italian bread. She really wished that she could drink, because she was nervous about how the conversation was going to go with Amy. The last time the two of them had a really serious talk was the day before the wedding, and Amy had basically ripped her a new one over having sex with Jesse and lying to her about it, as well as about the thing with Cole. When Beca had texted Amy about breaking things off with Cole, the blond had sent her five smiley faces and the words, 'thank fuck,' so to say that she was relieved would be an understatement. When the food finished cooking, Beca left the pasta, premixed with the sauce and meatballs, on the oven to simmer and the bread in the oven to keep warm. Jesse had been tasked with making a salad and broccoli, which was waiting to be steamed in the microwave right after their guests had arrived.

Beca felt hungry after all of this food preparation. She knew that the Allens would be arriving soon enough, but she was really famished. She opened the cabinet and grabbed the plastic jar of marshmallow fluff and a spoon from the dish drainer by the sink. She walked out of the kitchen, taking her first huge bite of the fluff, looking around for Jesse. She heard the sound of his keyboard coming from upstairs, so she figured that he was probably working on another composition. The movie that he had been lead composer on was in post-production, but there were a few small changes that needed to be made on some of the pieces. He spent most of his free-time working on his pieces, as well as composing other works to keep in his portfolio.

Beca began her ascent up the stairs, slowly. She was still sucking the first spoonful of the fluff from her spoon, resting all of her weight on her one arm as she climbed. She had to pause halfway up the steps, because she was starting to get winded. She had always prided herself on taking care of her body throughout her entire life, even if she didn't do a ton of working out; she kept herself thin, ate well, and would always take the stairs and walk places that were short distances away. But, the extra few pounds on her body from the pregnancy was enough to leave her unable to take a full breath, which might also be due to the fact that there was a baby suddenly crowding her lungs. While she waited for her body to get some much needed air, she finished off her first spoonful of fluff, as well as a second. She began climbing the stairs again, pausing once again at the top of the stairs, listening to the beautiful melody coming from down the hallway. She finished her third spoonful of fluff, taking a deep breath, before she made the final trek down the hallway.

Beca paused in the doorway of Jesse's room—correction, the soon to be nursery. She had to keep reminding herself that they were making the "guest room," also known as Jesse's room, into a nursery. She watched him as she leaned against the door frame, sucking on her fourth spoonful of marshmallow fluff. She left the spoon sticking out of her mouth to rub her belly with her now free hand, since the baby was kicking up a storm at the sound of his or her daddy's music. In the four days since Jesse had found out about the baby, she had already gained two pounds; he had been forcing too much food on her way too quickly. She hoped that when they went to see Brian next week for the twenty-week ultrasound, he would explain to Jesse that too much weight (especially not too quickly) wasn't good for the baby at all. Her cheeks were starting to fill out now, and it wouldn't be too much longer before she'd be incapable of hiding the fact that she was pregnant. They had sent out e-invitations to their closest friends (and her family, unfortunately) for two Saturdays from now, and she was afraid that she was going to be too big to be able to make the announcement the way that they wanted to if she kept gaining weight the way that she was. She pulled the spoon out of her mouth and stared at it; her brow furrowed, and her bottom lip began to jut out. She blinked, trying to keep her tears at bay; she really hated pregnancy hormones that made her like a leaking faucet all of the time now.

"What's with that face?" Jesse asked, making Beca jump. She didn't even notice that he stopped playing. She sniffled, trying to keep the quivering of her bottom lip to a minimum. She stabbed at the fluff angrily, eating it and hating herself for it. That was her biggest problem now; she would hate herself for wanting to eat, but that would only make her need the comfort that comes from eating. It made no sense, but she kept eating even if she felt bad about it.

"I'm getting fat," she moaned around the spoon; she began hating herself even more, because the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks now. She must be a real looker right now: tears pouring down her face and messing up her makeup, lips stained white from the marshmallow fluff, and a spoon sticking out of her mouth like she was a baby and it was her pacifier. She wanted to throw the spoon at him when he stood up, trying to keep the grin from his face, and make his way towards her. She shoved the spoon back into the jar of fluff, taking a moment to wipe at her cheeks with the back of her hands, which was probably doing nothing more than to ruin her makeup further.

"You're not getting fat, Beca." Jesse said quietly, taking the spoon and container away from Beca, despite her huffs about needing it, and setting it down on the top of the dresser he had near his doorway. He reached up to wipe at her cheeks and smooth some of her hair behind her ears. "You're pregnant, and you're gaining weight for the baby. I think you're beautiful and sexy, and you only look better as you get bigger." He pressed a light kiss to her lips and then rested his forehead against hers. She rolled her eyes, pushing him away from her.

"I don't care about whether or not you think I'm attractive." She said, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow at him. "Even if you didn't think I was attractive, you would have to fuck me when I asked, because this whole situation is your fault anyways," she said as she waved her hand at her stomach. He laughed, shaking his head and pulling her into his arms again, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"What are you upset about, then?"

"I worried that I'm going to be hugely pregnant when we announce it to our friends at the party. It won't exactly be a surprise if I look like I have a basket ball under my shirt." She pouted into his shoulder, running her hands over her stomach between them. He pulled away from her to lay his hands on her stomach, as well. "You can totally tell I'm pregnant now. You have to stop force-feeding me, Jesse Swanson." She said, smacking him hard on the chest. He grabbed her hand when she raised it to smack him again.

"Seriously, Becs? I'm force-feeding you?" Jesse joked, waving a hand towards the marshmallow fluff container. Beca stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yes, you're the reason I've gained two pounds in four days! The more weight I gain, the more upset it makes me, and then that makes me eat more." She frowned, rubbing her stomach. "Fuck, now I have to pee. We will resume this discussion when I get back from the bathroom." She walked down the hallway to the hall bathroom, flipping him off over her shoulder when she heard him laughing behind her.

A few minutes later, Beca exited the bathroom and headed toward Jesse's room, but she saw that it was empty now and the container of fluff was gone. She pouted, making her way slowly down the stairs. She felt so heavy and uncomfortable, even though she had only gained about twelve pounds. She paused again about halfway down the steps, trying to get her breath again. "Jesse, where'd you go?" She called out to him as she continued her slow descent down the steps.

"Flatbutt! What are you caterwauling about?" She grimaced when she heard Amy call out as she stepped into the entryway, holding a glass of wine. "You sound like a dingo in heat. What's taking you so long?" Amy asked as Beca finally finished going down the steps. Beca smiled, hoping like hell she didn't look huge.

"I…um…pulled a muscle during sex. Jesse can be really rough." She joked, winking at Jesse, as he rounded the corner with Bumper. He laughed, rolling his eyes.

"What can I say? I like the idea of inventing our own position." He responded, handing her a glass of ginger ale. "Here you go, wifey." He took a sip of his beer, smiling at her. "Ready for dinner? Bumper and I put the food out on the table." She nodded her head, because she was still hungry since she only ate a few spoonfuls of fluff. Amy didn't say anything at first, just staring at them with a funny look on her face. The four of them made their way to the dining room table.

"What's with you two?" Amy asked, narrowing her eyes at them. "Why aren't you drinking?" She asked while she eyed Beca, who took a sip of her ginger ale and stared longingly at Jesse's beer bottle when he put it down on the table beside her.

"I'm not in the mood for wine or beer." Beca bit her lip sitting down at the table. Amy just stared at her. Jesse sat down at the table next to Beca, taking her hand in his under the table. She interlaced her fingers through his, squeezing his hand tightly. "Um, that's not true, actually. I would love to drink, but I can't."

"You can't?" Amy said slowly, eyes narrowed as she looked between Jesse and Beca. Beca knew that dragging this out further would only make things worse, and there was the saying about giving bad news like ripping of a band aid, so she took a deep breath before leveling her gaze onto her blond friend.

"I can't because I'm pregnant."

"Holy shit!" Bumper said, dropping his fork to his plate with a clatter. Amy's eyes widened; Jesse squeezed her hand beneath the table before releasing it to grab the spaghetti spoon to serve himself and Beca some food. She ran a hand through her hair, releasing a shuddering breath.

"You're what?" Amy said after a moment. She was practically breathless—_speechless_—and it was something that Beca wasn't used to. She licked her bottom lip, nodding her head at the blond.

"I'm pregnant. I found out six weeks ago."

"You've known for six weeks? Who's the father?" Beca threw her hands up in the air.

"Why does everyone keep making me feel like I'm such a slut?" She asked no one in particular, pressing a hand to her forehead. Jesse returned the spoon to the dish of pasta and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest.

"You're not a slut." He told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She froze in his arms, because they didn't need to pretend that they were in love in front of Amy and Bumper. These were the two people that they didn't need to pretend with. He pulled back enough that they weren't crowding each other, but he still kept his arms wrapped around her.

"Is Cole the father?" Amy asked, ignoring the 'sweet' moment between Jesse and Beca.

"Does everyone conveniently forget that Jesse and I have had sex?" Beca asked.

"I didn't know you two had sex. So, Jesse's the father? Dude! How many times do we need to have the 'no glove, no love' talk?" Bumper asked Jesse, shaking his head. "Idiot; at least you got laid, though. It would suck to live in the same house as some chick and not be able to tap that, am I right?"

"Jesse's the father?" Amy's voice went an octave higher, out of shock. Beca glared at the blond.

"Yes! I never slept with Cole, even if he and I were hanging out around the time of the wedding. I told you that the night of my bachelorette party! This baby is all Jesse's." Beca said, pulling away from Jesse. "Unfortunately."

"_Unfortunately_?" He released her like she was on fire. "_Really_, Beca? _Wow_." He stood up, grabbing his beer, and marched out of the dining room. She heard him stomping up the steps.

"Jesse! Wait! That isn't what I meant!" She stood up as quickly as she could, but she was slow as shit. Fuck, she hated being pregnant sometimes. She looked at Amy and Bumper apologetically. "Um, I'll be back soon." She rushed out of the room as quickly as she could. "Jesse! Let me explain what I was saying. Fuck, I can't get up these steps that quickly anymore." She said the last part mainly to herself, putting most of her weight on the banister as she did her best to get up the stairs. She was winded by the time she made it to the top, due to not allowing herself the time to pause and catch her breath like she usually did, and she bent over to rest her hands on her knees, taking a couple of deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" Beca heard, and she flew up, seeing that Jesse was standing in the doorway of his room. He must have come out when he heard her huffing and puffing up the steps. She had righted herself too quickly, she noticed, and her hand flew to her head, the other to the wall as she took a step back, trying to fight the dizziness. "Becs," he rushed to her, pulling her against his chest and away from the stairs. "You could have fallen."

"I stood up too quickly. I'm a little dizzy." She told him, closing her eyes. She had read about the dizziness that might come during the second trimester, but she had been lucky enough not to experience it thus far. She complained when she felt him pick her up and carry her bridal style to his room, setting her down on the bed that hadn't seen much action in the last six nights. Shit, had it only been six nights since he found out about the baby? It felt like it was so much longer than that. He knelt on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"How are you feeling?" She opened her eyes to look at him.

"How do you do it?" He frowned at her, confused. "How do you go from hating me one moment, and then be so sweet and good with me the next?"

"I don't hate you." Jesse said quietly, looking at their hands rather than Beca's face. "I got upset, because you said that it was unfortunate that I'm the father of our baby. But, seeing you feeling sick or knowing that getting up the stairs has been difficult for you lately, I can turn it off for a few minutes to make sure you and the baby are okay. You and the baby are more important than me being upset with you."

"I didn't mean that it is unfortunate that you are the father of the baby over Cole or anyone else." She said as she let go of his hands to pull wrap her arms around his neck in a hug. He buried his face into her neck, and she ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm glad that you're the father. This baby will be so lucky to have you as its father." She closed her eyes, feeling the tears leak out of her eyes again. She had never cried so much in her life, and she _hated_ it. She hated feeling vulnerable and weak all of the time; most of all, she hated being that way in front of Jesse. "I just meant that there is still a huge part of me that wishes I never got pregnant. It makes things so much more complicated between us. Don't get me wrong, though. I love this baby, and I'm so happy to have it, but I do have regrets."

"You mean being married to me?" He asked, pulling away from her a bit to wipe at her cheeks. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Yes and no." Beca felt Jesse try to pull even further away from her, but she locked her hands over her elbows to keep them wrapped around his neck. "Don't pull away from me. Let me finish before you shut down, okay?"

"What's left to say, Beca? You never wanted to be married to me. You never wanted to have a baby. You never wanted any of this, and I'm the asshole that forced you into it." She glared at him, keeping her lips pressed firmly together until he got the message that she wasn't going to let him go until he shut up and let her speak. He sighed, closing his eyes and turning his head to rest his forehead against her arm.

"You done?" She asked after he was silent for a few moments. He nodded his head against her arm, still not looking at her. "Yes, there is a part of me that regrets marrying you. I regret that you had to marry someone you didn't love and that you aren't getting your happily ever after. I regret that I'm forcing you to become a divorced man by thirty, because you had to get married in order to stay in the country. I regret that you're disappointing yourself and the idea you have in your head about what marriage and family is like. I regret that there is a part of you that feels guilty and heartbroken over possibly disappointing your parents even though they are no longer alive." She took a deep breath, loosening her hold on his neck slightly. "But, I don't regret helping out a friend. I don't regret finding out that _you_ are my best friend—ahead of Chloe, of Amy, of all of the girls. I don't regret learning that there are good people in the world—people who actually care about me in ways that I never felt from my parents. I don't regret finding out what an amazing person you really are, which is something I didn't see—or let myself see—over the last few years. Those are the things that I don't regret about marrying you."

Jesse raised his head, staring into Beca's eyes. She couldn't exactly read the expression on his face, and a huge part of her didn't want to. She was afraid of what that expression meant. She suddenly began feeling another regret—saying what she just said to him. She didn't want to get confused over what they were doing; she didn't want to think that what was happening between them was real, because it wasn't. It was just hormones; it was the connection they now had through the baby. She closed her eyes, trying to get away from that look on his face, but it was still there, behind her eyelids. "I regret that this baby has two parents who will love it, but that it will be bounced from home to home when we finally divorce. I regret that this baby isn't going to have two parents that will show it how to be happy or what genuine love between two people is supposed to look like." She said with her eyes still closed.

"Beca," he said, and she shook her head, not wanting to open her eyes and face him. "Beca, look at me." She shook her head again. She heard him sigh before she suddenly felt his lips on hers, his body pressed against the front of her. She moaned into the kiss, tightening her hold on his neck once again, pulling him more firmly against her as she fell back onto the bed. God, he was a phenomenal kisser. _Shit_. Why was he kissing her? This wasn't a time when she could have sex with him, and this kiss was definitely had more involved in it than the light pecks and other small, sweet kisses that they had been sharing over the last four days outside of the bedroom (or the shower—she had gotten really horny one morning and decided she needed to have him in the shower, so she finally got her shower sex. Then, there was on the kitchen table. On the couch. Against the front door. The list goes on; they had sex pretty much all over the condo). He broke the kiss, and she felt him staring down at her face, but she still refused to open her eyes. "Beca, look at me, please? Either that or I will have to kiss you again, and then have my way with you and make you scream my name in the sexiest ways that will probably scar both of our friends downstairs." She stuck her bottom lip out before opening one eye. She hated him for making her horny with that kiss and then putting images in her head of the most amazing things that he has done to her body, making her want him to do them again. He grinned down at her, balancing his weight on one arm and raising a hand to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"What?" She said, opening her other eye.

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad you and I got married. I know that it wasn't something that we planned or wanted at first, but I think it has been great, even if there have been a few arguments. They resulted in us in bed, so I'm quite happy with how they turned out." Beca rolled her eyes at Jesse. He chewed on his bottom lip, and she watched his eyes shift quickly all over her face, as if he was trying to memorize every bit of it. His brow furrowed, and he looked away momentarily before returning his gaze to her face, smiling at her once again. It didn't reach his eyes, though, and she hated that. She knew that he was holding something back even before he opened his mouth. (There was a huge part of her that was relieved, but deep down there was a part of her that was disappointed. Shit. No, she _was not _disappointed. _No_!) "You're right that part of me is sad that I'm going to get divorced. You're right that part of me feels like I'm letting down my parents. You're right that I wish that I was going into a marriage with the happily ever after, but this is our situation. I want you to know that I don't regret blurting your name out during my meeting with Danielson all those months ago." She furrowed her brow.

"What are you talking about?" He groaned, pulling away from her and lying on the bed beside her. He ran a hand over his face. "Jesse?" She asked, turning over and resting all of her weight on her forearm so that she could see his face.

"It was the day that you and I first agreed to get married—when I told you that I had to go back to Canada and you had gotten your stuff stolen. I had my meeting with Danielson, and he told me that I my visa was running out and that it couldn't be renewed. The first thing that came to my mind was the fact that Fat Amy and Bumper got married, and Amy got to stay in the country and is nearly a permanent citizen—she has a couple months left, right?" She nodded her head at the sudden topic change. "We should really throw a party for them when their temporary status is changed. I'm excited for them. You will probably be almost ready to give birth or already given birth by then, right?"

"Jesse." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Right, okay, sorry." He stared straight ahead at the ceiling, avoiding looking at her. "So, the first thing that popped out of my mouth was that I was engaged. Danielson looked at me suspiciously, and he asked me who I was engaged to, and I don't know why, but I said your name."

"What?" Beca totally didn't know what to make of that. Jesse told Danielson _before_ they agreed to fake everything that he was engaged to her. What if she had said no? Is that why he kept begging her, making her feel guilty about not wanting to do it? He backed her into a corner, and she felt almost obligated to say yes to him. She couldn't believe him. It was a spur of the moment thing about asking her to marry him because they were both in a bind—he had planned it out that way. Well, he didn't plan for all of her shit to get stolen, but he totally took advantage of it when he found out that it happened. What the hell was wrong with him?

"It was an accident. Danielson wanted to know who I was getting married to, so I said the first person that popped into my head…you. I didn't mean to say it. I just…fuck, you were in my head, because the wedding was two days before that, and we were doing what we usually did…flirt and insult each other, like always. And, I don't know…I knew that you didn't want to get married, and you were going to say no, but I was desperate. I just…this is my home, Beca. I have nothing left in Quebec. I have no family, no friends. I have no job, no home. I just…I needed a way to stay here, and you were in my head, and I said your name. I shouldn't have done it. It was a mistake, and I fucked up, and I'm sorry. You probably totally hate me now, but I just…the U.S., it's my home now. Fuck, please say you don't hate me. I just…you were perfect, though, Beca. You had no interest in marriage, so it wasn't like you were going to be devastated over the fact that you would have to spend two years tied to someone else when you were hoping to find someone new. Plus, us getting divorced would be easy, because it wasn't real. I just…please, Beca. Please say you don't hate me?"

Beca pulled herself off of the bed and began pacing the room. She didn't know what to say to Jesse. She did sort of hate him, because he lied to her. But, she couldn't hate him that much, because she could understand that he was desperate and scared of being forced into leaving the only home he has really known since he was eighteen years old. Plus, she was the perfect person to think of, because it wasn't real, and it never would have been real between them. No one would be surprised to learn that things didn't work for them. She was broken—her parents made a mess of her social abilities, so it wouldn't be shocking that they got divorced. She knew her parents were practically sitting by the phone, waiting for the call in which she told them that things didn't work out between her and Jesse. "Beca, please." She jumped when she felt him grab her by the forearm and pull her flush against his chest. She didn't even hear (or see) him climb off of the bed or come closer to her.

"I need a moment." She said, and he nodded his head, but instead of releasing her, he wrapped his arms more tightly around her, burying his face into her neck. "Jesse…please, let go of me."

"No," he whispered into her skin, and his breath tickled her neck, making her squirm. "Not until you say that I'm forgiven. Not until you say that we're okay." She sighed, closing her eyes, breathing in his smell. The baby was kicking up a storm in her stomach, almost as if he or she was begging her to just forgive its daddy. "The baby thinks you should say that you forgive me." She groaned, resting her forehead against his shoulder; finally, she raised her arms, wrapping them around his waist, hugging him tightly. She ignored the pressure that the hug put on her chest—it hurt, but she couldn't focus on that. She wanted to focus on making things right with him. He was her best friend; she came upstairs to make him forgive her, but somehow he was the one apologizing to her. It just didn't make sense. The arguing, the fighting, the confusion—it was too exhausting. Why couldn't they just be friends and be fine? Things had been going pretty well over the last few days—ever since they had gotten past the argument they had when he first found out about the baby.

Beca's eyes flew open when she remembered the conversation they had in her bed right before the meeting with Danielson. She was sick—now, she knew that it was really morning sickness—and Jesse had been lying with her, holding her in his arms, offering the different ways that he could care for her. Somehow they had brought up sex, which wasn't entirely uncommon for them now that she thought about it. He had said that they weren't going to ruin their friendship, because she was a commitment phobe, and they both knew that feelings get involved when people tried to include sex into friendship; he talked about how it would be too complicated between them if they were to have sex. She swallowed, because she also remembered him talking about how he only wanted to have sex with the woman he was married to as a sign of loving her, that sex was more meaningful when it was with someone you were in love with.

She didn't know what to do with this memory. Things are a hell of a lot more complicated with the baby on the way, but that was an even bigger reason for why they should stop having sex, right? They needed to stop complicating their relationship if they were going to last until his status changed. Plus, they didn't want to make it worse for the baby. They had to be smart about this for the baby. She tried to pull away from him. "Jesse, let me go?"

"Do you forgive me?" She rolled her eyes, nodding her head.

"Yes, I forgive you, nerd." Beca said quietly. Jesse let her go, grinning down at her. His face fell when he took in her expression.

"What's wrong now?" She shook her head, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"I'm fine." He narrowed his eyes.

"No, you're not. What's wrong?"

"We have to go back downstairs to our guests. They are waiting for us." He shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone. His thumb flew across it, and then he returned it to his pocket.

"Texted Bumper. Told him that they could start eating and that we need a few more minutes. I said we were still arguing."

"That's only going to make Amy come running."

"Bumper's keeping her busy."

"Jesse, we need to go back downstairs."

"Nope. Not until you tell me what is going through that head of yours. You say you forgive me, but there is something else off about you. Are you just saying that you forgive me so that I would let you go? I will do whatever it takes to make you forgive me, Beca. I swear. What do I need to do?" He grabbed her by the hips, pulling her against him. "Please?"

"Jesse, I forgive you." She told him, smiling at him sadly. "I was just thinking about how I came up here to say I was sorry to you, and then somehow this turned into an argument about something you did wrong. Aren't you tired of all of it?" He frowned.

"Tired of what, Beca?"

"Tired of all the arguing and the fighting and the confusion? Aren't you tired of just pretending like we're this perfect, happy couple on the outside, to everyone else, but on the inside, we're a huge mess. One minute were doing and saying things that hurt the other, but the next we are doing things for the other, trying to repair the damage that we cause—either intentionally or unintentionally. Aren't you sick of always feeling like the bad guy? I know I do."

"You're not the bad guy, Beca. I don't see you as that. Marriage is hard and complicated for any legitimate couple, let alone a couple that went into it without the emotional connection that most couples have. Sure, we were friends, but there is a difference between friendship and love." She looked away, because she didn't know what that difference was. How can you be sure that there is romantic love versus platonic love between two people? She didn't understand it. It left her feeling completely confused and overwhelmed, and she was exhausted by all of it. "Do you see me as a bad guy?"

"No, not at all. You're a saint most of the time, even when you piss me the fuck off." He laughed, wrapping his arms around her hips. He leaned forward, crowding her personal space. "What are you doing?" She whispered; her eyes went cross-eyed as she watched his face come closer to hers until his lips were hovering over hers.

"We have a couple of minutes…I think we have enough time for a little making up." He whispered, and then he kissed her. Her arms immediately went to his shoulders, and it was her body's natural reaction to go up on her toes to press her face even closer to his. In the back of her mind, she knew that she shouldn't be kissing him, but she _couldn't_ _stop_ _herself_.

Jesse backed them up to the bed, sitting down and pulling Beca into his lap. They were in the middle of a heated make out session when they heard someone clear their throat from the doorway. She immediately pulled away from him, climbing off of his lap, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. She blushed, running a hand through her hair. "Amy…hey."

"All I get is an 'Amy…hey?'" The blond woman said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at them. Jesse started to chuckle, but Beca immediately glared at him, so he played it off like a cough.

"Right, so I think I'm gonna go heat up some pasta…" He said standing up quickly. He took a step towards Beca, but he hesitated when he saw her eyes widen at him in discomfort and Amy's narrowed gaze turn into a glare. "I'm gonna go right this second. If I could teleport, it would be awesome." He muttered. He looked at Amy, chewing on his bottom lip. "Am I allowed to say goodbye, or will you cut off my dick?"

"Go ahead. I'd love to see how you say 'goodbye' to her." Amy said, continuing to glare at him. He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing slightly at Beca.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me, okay?" He said to her, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Anything, Beca." She nodded her head, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He squatted in front of her stomach, laying his hand over the swell of it beneath her maxi dress. "Hey, little one; you'll take care of mommy, right? If the mean blond lady gets too close, you'll start kicking at her, right?" He joked, making Amy scoff from across the room. "Daddy loves you, little one." He pressed a kiss to her stomach, smiling at the way that the baby started kicking like crazy. "That's the spirit." He laughed, standing up. Beca rolled her eyes, pressing a hand to her stomach.

"This kid is going to kick a hole through my uterus one of these days, and I'm going to blame you. The baby only acts like this with you." She said, pushing him towards the door. He grinned at her.

"That's because he or she knows I'm the Daddy!" He walked up to Amy, holding his hands up. "If I had a tissue, I would wave it, but they are all the way on the other side of the bed, and I figured you would blow a gasket if I tried to get one first. So, Amy, imagine I'm waving a figurative white flag." She rolled her eyes, stepping into the room and off to the side, holding hand toward the door. "I'm going!" He walked out the door, giving one last look at Beca. "You need anything, tell me. Immediately."

"Jesse, can you make me a sandwich?" She said, stopping him before he could leave completely. He nodded his head.

"Sure. What'll it be?" He said, miming pulling a pen from behind his ear and writing on his hand as if it were a pad of paper. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Can you make me a double-decker sandwich? Three slices of bread, with peanut butter, Nutella, fluff, and grape jelly? Oh, and a big glass of orange juice. Mixed with a splash of lemonade. Oh, and maybe another glass of ginger ale? I didn't get to drink the other one." She paused. "I think I'm good." He raised his eyebrows.

"You sure? Because the last time you sent me down to get you something to eat in the middle of the night, I came back to find that you changed your mind and wanted me to make you steak."

"Oh! Do we have any of that left over? Can you bring some of that on the side of the sandwich?" He shook his head.

"This baby is doing funky things to you, Beca." He said as he disappeared down the stairs.

Beca turned her attention back to Amy. She rubbed her stomach as she stared at the blond awkwardly. Amy just stared at her, arms crossed, waiting. Beca couldn't read the expression on her friend's face, so she bit her lip. "Um, do you think I could go pee? I really have to pee." Amy nodded her head.

"I'll wait here." She said as she sat down on the piano bench. Beca studied her.

"You can sit on the bed."

"I'm afraid of what I'll be sitting on."

"We've never done anything in here." Amy just raised her eyebrows at Beca.

"But, you have been doing things. _Together_. Not counting the incident that left the bun in the oven." They were all statements, and Beca could tell that Amy didn't want to hear a response to them. At least, not the one that Beca was going to give her.

"I'm just gonna go pee. I'll be right back." She slipped from the room and rushed to the hall bathroom, finishing her business and taking a moment to compose herself before she returned to the room. She hesitated in the doorway for a moment before she walked over to the bed and sat down, resting her back against the pillows piled up at the headboard, stretching her legs out before her. She began to chew on her thumb nail, studying her friend from across the room. "So, Jesse and I have been having sex. One of the side effects of being pregnant is a heightened sex drive, and Jesse's been helping me…with, uh, that."

"So, let me get this straight. You're horny, so you're fucking Jesse. I walked in on you two about to fuck, because you were horny?" Beca shrugged her shoulders, because that wasn't really what they were doing. It was something different, but she didn't know how to word it. They didn't need to have sex in that moment, but they were about to. Or, they were going to do _something_, at least. Their argument wasn't even really that much of an argument—nothing that would have gotten them so riled up that her hormones would be out of control that was usually the norm for them; no, it was really about them just _wanting_ to kiss and be with each other.

"You never said congratulations, Amy." She said after a few moments, blinking back the tears that filled her eyes. Stupid hormones. She turned her head away, pressing a hand over her eyes.

"I'm sorry. You're right. Congratulations that you got knocked up, Beca, after a one night stand with your fake husband. Oh, wait, you were only engaged at that point. You really can't hold your liquor well at all." Beca glared at Amy, hating the angry tears slipping down her face. "What the hell is wrong with you? You guys didn't use a condom?"

"We were drunk, and we didn't take a moment to talk about birth control. It wasn't the plan, but we're gonna work it out. We both are really excited about this baby; we love this baby."

"What does this mean in terms of the marriage? Your plan was to break up in two years."

"That's still the plan, Amy." The blond shook her head.

"You're really gonna put the baby through that? You've been down that road, Beca. You know what it is like to be abandoned by your parents. You know what its' like to see your parents fight like crazy and then to dump the kid like yesterday's trash all in the effort to hurt the other person. You're really selfish, Beca."

"What do you expect us to do, Amy? You think we should stay married just because of the baby? That isn't fair to the baby at all—to see his or her parents constantly unhappy? It is worse for the baby to see his or her parents in a loveless marriage—one that was built on a lie so that the father could stay in the country. I would rather this baby see us divorce and give it the best life it can have—with two parents who love it and would do anything for it, who will be great at co-parents, working together to support this child. I'm not going to force a miserable life on this baby, making him or her feel like a burden or carry the weight of his or her parents' relationship."

Beca sat up, rubbing her stomach. The baby was kicking like crazy, and she was feeling really uncomfortable all of a sudden. This wasn't a big surprise; as she got further along, she noticed that she felt a little off every now and again. She couldn't stay seated or lying down for long before she felt weird and had to change positions. She figured that that is what was happening to her then. Her stomach felt weird beneath her hands, tighter, but not exactly painful. She decided that she was going keep an eye on it for now, because she wasn't in pain, she didn't feel like her water was breaking or anything like that, so she thought she was okay. "We're gonna be great co-parents, Amy. Jesse's my best friend, and once this marriage is over, we're still going to be best friends. This baby is going to be fine with having two parents who aren't married or together."

"No, not really. The kid is going to be bounced from household to household—to see its mom and dad dating a bunch of people. He or she is going to see dad marry someone new—someone who seems to be better than she is, and don't get me started on how it's self-esteem is going to plummet if this new wife had a kid around the baby's age; this kid is going to be constantly comparing itself to this new stepsibling or even have people do it for him or her. Does any of this sound familiar?"

Beca's jaw ticked. "Jesse's not my dad, and I'm not my mom. This baby will know love and stability. The difference between my parents and Jesse and I is that we don't hate each other; we won't hate each other in two years when all of this is done."

"This baby isn't going to feel stable! How many times have you said that to me? How many times did you say how much you hated your childhood, because of your parents' divorce and their new lives?"

"But, this is different!"

"It's not that different, Beca! You two are _sleeping_ _together_ for fuck's sake." She glared at Amy. "You keep denying that there is anything going on between the two of you, but you're not acting like it. You have to know that there will be feelings, _a shit ton of feelings_, when you give birth? Add that on top of the supposed _friendship_ you keep going on and on about, as well as all of the sex you two have been having? It's gonna be complicated as shit. Divorces are hard enough on the two people getting divorced, but now you have a child to think about. There's even more feelings involved in raising a child together. You guys are going to have to pretend to be in love in front of this baby for the first few years of its life. Then, you're going to turn around and say to it, 'oops! We didn't actually mean it! Sorry, kid!' This kid is gonna be fucked up."

Beca wiped at her cheeks, because she was crying again. Amy was right, but she didn't know what she was supposed to do. She couldn't take back the sex that they had that resulted in the pregnancy. She didn't know what Amy expected of her. Was she supposed to just pretend for the rest of her life that there was something between her and Jesse? She couldn't do that. It was already confusing enough for her, because she was pregnant, and they were dealing with that. She didn't know if those weird thoughts or moments when she thought that there is something there—_between_ _them_—were because of the baby or if she was starting to have feelings for him. "What do you want me to say, Amy? I can't go back and time and change everything. I'm pregnant. Jesse is the father."

"What about Jesse? It is already bullshit to see him as the type who gets married and then divorces after barely two years of marriage, but do you really think he is the type who becomes a deadbeat dad—who bails on the wife _and the kid_?"

"He's not bailing on the baby."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She jumped when she heard Jesse's voice from the doorway. He had a tray in his hand, with two plates (her sandwich and steak) and two glasses with her drink requests. She smiled at him, because she must be hungry. He walked over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. "How you doing?" She shrugged her shoulders, grabbing a half of her sandwich greedily. She took a bite. Her stomach still felt strange, but she still wasn't in pain, so she figured that she was okay.

"I'm just getting tired." She told him after a moment. He tucked some hair behind her ear, looking into her eyes. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Alright, Amy. I think it's time for you to go. I don't want Beca anymore upset than she is." Amy stared at him, her eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Beca needs to eat and relax a bit. Then, she needs to get some sleep."

"We're in the middle of talking."

"No, we're in the middle of you berating me for having unprotected sex and getting pregnant." Beca snapped around her bite of sandwich. She took a sip of her ginger ale to wash it down.

"Beca, all I want you to do is to give it some serious thought. _What do you want to do_?" She stared at Amy in confusion. She didn't know what the blond meant by that. What did she want to do? What was Amy talking about? "You know what I mean, Beca. Take a minute to yourself and really listen to your head and your heart." Beca swallowed, not daring to look at her friend as she walked towards the doorway. "I love you, Beca. I know you think I'm being a total bitch right now, but I care about you. I want you to be happy, and I pounced like a mother dingo protecting her young. You need to take a breather tonight and _really_ _think_." Amy disappeared from the room.

"What the hell happened? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" Beca smiled at Jesse, laying a hand on his cheek. He was really being so good, so sweet.

"The baby's fine. She was just concerned about me; that's all. She wanted to make sure that we really thought about the consequences that come from getting a divorce. I explained to her that you're nothing like my dad, and I'm nothing like my mom." He chewed on his bottom lip, staring at his left hand that was resting on her shin, his eyes locked onto the wedding band.

"Is she suggesting that you and I stay married?" He said after a few moments, and she shrugged.

"I don't know. She brought up a lot of stuff having to do with my parents, and she made a lot of good points, but I also made a lot of good points about the stupidity of staying together for the wrong reasons, aka staying together for a child. I'm not going to force that life onto my baby, because I think those consequences outweigh any consequence that comes from a child having divorced parents. Besides, we're different. We're not going to have a relationship like my parents, where being divorced is just as bad as being together." She finished off the half of her sandwich before moving on to a few of the steak pieces. "I'm also not a hugely selfish bitch who would force you to stay in a relationship that you don't want to be in. You deserve your happily ever after, and I'm not going to stand in your way of finding the woman you're supposed to spend your life with." He smiled at her, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Um, I'm gonna go clean up downstairs. You finish up, and then why don't you go take a bath. It will help you calm down before bed, okay?" She nodded her head, yawning slightly. She ate in silence, not wanting to think about what Amy had been saying before she left. Ten minutes later, he returned, grabbing the tray from her. He set it on top of his dresser by the door and helped her off the bed.

Beca yawned again, and Jesse escorted her down the hallway to her room. He left her to get changed into her pajamas to take the tray downstairs. After she got ready for bed, she climbed into her bed, hugging the pillow against her chest. A few moments later, she felt the bed shift, and his arm wrap around her middle, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. "Goodnight, Beca. Goodnight, baby." He whispered into her ear, and he rubbed her stomach with his hand. She felt his smile against her neck after he buried his face against her, his body pressed against the back of hers.

"Goodnight, Jesse." She whispered back, closing her eyes, hoping that sleep would come.

* * *

**Author's Note: Don't hate, Amy! She is concerned about Beca, and they aren't exactly acting like friends and like their marriage is fake, despite their claims (especially Beca's) that is all that is happening. So, Amy needed to say all of that. Review, please.  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 14**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my two beautiful babies that passed away early Monday morning and early yesterday morning:**

**My cat, Ginger, was about 22 years old, and I spent most of Sunday night with her while she was getting ready to pass away. I went to sleep at about 1:30 in the morning, and I got up at around 7:30, and she had passed sometime between then. **

**My darling pet rat, CJ, started acting strange on Monday, and when I took him to the vet on Tuesday, the vets couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He passed away early yesterday morning after I spent the night on the couch with him on a heating pad beside me on the ottoman. He was such a sweet angel, and I am devastated by his loss. **

**I am terribly heartbroken, and it was really hard for me to work on the end of this chapter, which is why I stopped it where it is. Unfortunately, it was right before I was going to write about the party, so that is pushed to the beginning of the next chapter. This chapter was getting kind of long anyways, so I think that probably worked out for the best. **

* * *

Beca had been really quiet for most of the next morning before she and Jesse parted ways for work; she only answered yes when he asked her if she was doing okay that morning, if the baby was doing okay, and if she had a good night, throwing in the words "an omelet" when he asked what she wanted to eat that morning for breakfast. He didn't know why she was being so weird, but he figured that it had something to do with what Amy had said to her the night before. But, if he was going to be honest with himself, he thought that there was a lot more to it than that.

Beca had been acting weird before Jesse had even left her alone with the Australian blond woman. After he confessed about blurting her name out in the first meeting with Danielson before he even talked to her about getting married, she had shut down. He had _begged_ her to forgive him, because he knows how much of a douche bag he was for forcing her to get married, making her feel guilty for saying no at first. She said that she did forgive him, but there was still something _off_ about her. He didn't know what it was had her upset, but he could totally tell that she was lying when she started talking about being tired of fighting. Well, she wasn't exactly _lying_, but she was holding something back when they were talking. He had no idea what she was holding back, but he didn't like it.

Jesse needed to feel close to her, needed to connect with her, so he the only thing that he _knew_ would make him feel close to her, to connect with her: to kiss her, to try to have sex with her. It was so totally _stupid_ for him to do that, because it put pressure on her; they used her pregnancy hormones as an excuse to be together. He _knew_ that she used them as an excuse, instead of just admitting that she liked having sex with him, that she _wanted_ to have sex with him. She wasn't horny from hormones in the moment when he kissed her. He had kissed her several times throughout their argument (no, argument isn't the correct word…_conversation?_) they had been having. None of them were about sex or hormones at the times.

The whole thing—the whole night—was strange to Jesse, but it left him feeling hopeful, because Beca had come _running_ after him when she saw that he was upset. She had hugged him and wouldn't let him go. She had told him that she wanted to be happy. She had done so many things throughout that conversation that gave him _hope_ that there was something more there, but then she brought up the divorce again. She always brought up the divorce, and it about _killed _him every time. He hated thinking about it. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want this to end. Then, Amy had to say all that shit to her, make things a hell of a lot more _complicated_ for them, because now she was second-guessing herself about their relationship way more than she usually did.

When Beca had said that Amy had given her a lot of points about why they should_n't_ get divorced, the only thing that Jesse felt was heartbreak and anger. What the _fuck_ was wrong with Amy for even _suggesting_ that Beca stay with him for the baby? She would never stay with him just for the baby, because she was under the firm impression that the baby was better off seeing them divorced and _happy_ rather than together and _miserable_ (her words, not his). Besides, she had told him about the fact that she would never deny him the chance for a happily ever after: a wife whom he loved and a family. She had told him that she didn't want him to always feel like he was letting down his parents, even though they were no longer alive. Apparently, he _deserved_ to have everything that he wanted most in the world, and she wasn't going to deny him that by forcing him to stay married to her. What she didn't know was that what he wanted most in the world was _her_; he wanted to fall in love with Rebeca Charlotte Mitchell—excuse him, she was Rebeca Charlotte _Swanson_ now. He wanted to fall in love with his _wife_ and to have his happily ever after with _her_. He was so _angry_ that Amy suggested that she stay with him because of the baby. He didn't want that. He didn't want her to stay with him, wishing that she _wasn't_, just so their child would have married parents. He wanted her to _want_ to be with him, to _want_ to see if their marriage could be real. He wanted her to _fall in love with him_, just like he wanted to fall in love with her.

Jesse sighed, dropping the stack of sheet music onto his desk. He hated that even though he had written that movie score—albeit for a small move, but it was still his _chance_ to show what he can do—he was still an assistant, so he still had to "assist" the other composers at BioTerra. Right now, he was currently perusing the composition that Frank had written, making a couple of small changes here and there. Frank was a great composer, but he was kind of a douche, and he never really listened to what the movie was supposed to be about. Jesse couldn't wait until Phil, who was the head of the department, gave him another chance to score a movie. He just knew that he would do a better job at writing one that _fit_ the movie better than Frank could. It would be exactly what Phil needed to see that Jesse was worth more to him and to BioTerra as a full composer, not just an assistant.

Jesse ran a hand through his hair, staring unseeingly at the sheet music lying in front of him on his desk. He didn't want to be doing this right now; he wanted to be writing his own music. He wanted to compose something to get everything off of his chest. He was feeling so torn up about Beca and Amy and the baby and the marriage and lying to the United States government and the impending divorce and lying to their friends (_their family_) and the upcoming doctor's appointment where they would find out the sex of the baby and the upcoming dinner with Beca's parents (all three of them—well, sort of _four_ because Beca's mom's latest boyfriend was going to be there) and then the party with all of their friends where they would announce the pregnancy. God, the list kept going. There was so much for him to be feeling so many different emotions about, he felt like he was going to explode from it all. His head was cottony, and his palms were sweating, and, _shit_, was the room spinning? Fuck, he was going to have a full-blown panic attack in his tiny cubicle in the music composition department at BioTerra. He closed his eyes, attempting to take a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. His cell phone buzzed on the desk next to the sheet music, making him jump and his heart to fly into his throat. He grabbed it, seeing that it was a text from Beca. Immediately, his heart started pounding harder, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead, because _something had to be wrong with her or the baby_ if she was texting him. He opened the text immediately, his eyes scrolling over the words so quickly that he had to go back and reread them again in order to make sure that he read it right the first time.

_I just looked over WRs maternity leave policy. 6 weeks paid and up to 2 more, unpaid._

Jesse sighed in relief, because there was _nothing_ _wrong_. He took a few more deep breaths before grabbing his reusable water bottle from where it was sitting on his desk beside his office phone. He closed his eyes, rolling his upper body, trying to ease the tension from his neck and shoulders. A few more moments of this, and he would surely be calm again. When his mind was clear, and he no longer had that sour taste in his mouth and the spasms in his gut, he was able to finally think of a response to Beca's text. She was telling him about the Wharton Records maternity leave policies; six weeks of paid leave was higher than he expected, especially for a country that didn't legally require companies to offer any form of paid leave, and an additional two weeks that were unpaid. Did that mean if she were take off more than eight weeks for maternity leave, then her job would be at risk? He would have to ask her about that; perhaps she could go on a sabbatical? That would ensure that her job was protected, right? Well, maybe she wouldn't want to stay home longer, but to use those eight weeks off and then to go back to work part-time after that. He knew that she wouldn't be able to stay away from music or her job (that she _loved_) for long, even if she loved her baby more. Music was ingrained in Beca, and she needed the expression and the challenge that came with producing to get everything out, in the same way that he needed to write music for movies. His thoughts were interrupted from another text from Beca. He almost dropped his cell when it began to vibrate in his hand.

_I'm thinking about taking all 8 weeks. Can we afford to go 2 weeks without me getting paid?_

Jesse smiled to himself, because Beca wanted to know his opinion about what she should do. She was coming to him like a wife would go to her husband, her partner, her confidant, her safety net. It made him feel _good_; he wanted her to always go to him for help on big things like this. Hell, on the little things, too. He wanted to be able to go to her, as well. He quickly formulated a response, his thumb flying over the keyboard to text her back.

_Take all 8 weeks. We'll work it out and be fine. Did you still want to go back to work part-time after that?_

Jesse wondered if BioTerra offered any kind of paternity leave. He knew that Beca wanted to be home with the baby as much as possible, and he wanted to be there to help her, as well. Not to mention, he was beyond _excited_ about being a dad, so he wanted to be there from the beginning, as much as he could. This baby was a blessing—something that brought him and Beca even closer. Even if they weren't together in the long run, this baby allowed them the chance to be way closer than they ever could have imagined being. There was going to be a person in this world that made up of half of him and half of her, and it kind of amazed him. He never saw that happening in a million years. His thumb flew over the keyboard once more.

_I wonder if BioTerra offers any kind of paternity leave. I wanna be home with you and the baby as much as I can in the beginning._

Jesse opened the bottom drawer of his desk to pull out his employee manual. He opened it to the correct page, hoping like hell that paternity leave was offered by BioTerra. He only had about a week of paid sick time (since he hadn't been working there for very long), and he had already used up his three weeks of paid vacation for the wedding and honeymoon. A smile slipped onto his face when he saw that BioTerra was progressive enough to offer three weeks of paid paternity leave, with up to an additional two weeks, unpaid. Five weeks was better than nothing, but he didn't know if they could afford two weeks of unpaid time off for both of them. He definitely planned on taking the three paid weeks though; they would have to sit down together and look over their finances to see if they could afford it to be without two weeks pay for both of them. Maybe he could work from home? Every two or three days, he could stop by BioTerra and drop off his work and pick up new work from Frank, Phil, and the other composers in the department. That way he could be home with Beca and the baby as much as possible for as long as possible. He turned to grab his phone again, excited to tell her the news and to ask her if she would maybe want him to work from home before he even thought about bringing up the possibility to Frank. He saw that she had texted him. _Twice_. "Shit," he muttered, opening the texts.

_I'm not gonna ask about working part-time until after we announce the baby. _

_It would be great if you could take time off. I would def appreciate the help. Expect to have quite a few sleepless nights in your future. Does BioTerra do pat leave?_

Jesse grinned at her second text. He opened a blank text, coming up with the perfect suggestive response.

_I'm already planning on having a lot more than a few sleepless nights in my future, especially with you Mrs. Swanson. ;)_

As soon as the text went through, he opened another blank document.

_I get 3 weeks paid, 2 unpaid. We'll have to talk about it. I'd love to stay home with you and the baby for as long as I can._

Jesse hated referring to their baby as "the baby." He couldn't wait until they found out what they were having. He wanted to start planning the nursery and to start figuring out baby names. He grinned to himself when he thought about naming the baby. He made the decision to go out and buy a baby name book on the way home from work that evening. It was time that he and Beca started planning baby names and nursery themes. His phone buzzed with an incoming text from Beca.

_You're such a pig. Take the 3 weeks, and we will talk about if we can do the extra 2 weeks, too._

He quickly texted his response.

_I hope we can afford both of us to take those extra two weeks off. I will look into working from home for a little bit if I can. I wanna be home as much as I can._

He frowned, glancing around him. He had to finish his work or else Frank would whine about it to Phil. He sighed, texting this to Beca before he set his phone aside. He quickly picked up his pencil and got to work, looking over the sheet music in front of him.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Jesse found himself parking outside of the condo with a brown bag filled with Chinese food in one hand, a plastic bag from Barnes and Noble in other hand that was filled with one very thick book of baby names. His messenger bag was hooked over his one shoulder, and his laptop bag was hanging off of the other. He felt like a pack mule weighed down with all of this crap. He was attempting to maneuver the bag of Chinese food into the hand with the bag from the book store in order to open the door when it flew open, revealing Beca who was dressed in a pair of yoga pants and one of his t-shirts. He loved it when she wore his clothes. It made him feel like some kind of possessive caveman, like his clothes were a sign that she was _his_. Well, the swell of her bump beneath his shirt was an even bigger, glaring neon sign that she was his, but that was beside the point. He found her to be beyond sexy when she was in his clothes—even more than when she was naked. That might sound weird, but it was true; she was sexy in his clothes, and he loved to slowly pull them off her body. "I've got dinner." He told her, grinning. She smiled, taking the brown bag from his hands; she moved away from the door only after she was sure that he caught it with his now free hand.

"I'm starved." Beca said over her shoulder as she led the way into the kitchen. Jesse followed after he pulled his messenger bag and laptop bags off of his body and left them by the door. He carried the plastic bag with the book of baby names with him into the kitchen, tossing it onto the table in front of her as she pulled the containers of food from the brown bag. She frowned, setting down a container of General Tso onto the table. She pulled the book from the bag, and her jaw dropped open. All the while, he walked over to the cabinet to pull out two plates, two bowls, and two cups to take over to the table. He then grabbed them both some apple juice from the fridge (she had been craving it lately) and some utensils from the drawer. "A baby name book?" She said, finally finding her voice again.

"Yeah, I think we should start planning." Jesse smiled as he grabbed the pad of paper and pen that they left on the counter for taking phone messages and to write each other notes or reminders. He grabbed a second pen from their junk drawer, tearing the top piece of paper off to hand to Beca with a new pen. "Write down your favorites, and if we have any matching names, we can write it onto a third list that we will narrow down the name from." She stared at him for a moment.

"Do you honestly think that we are going to have any names in common?" He rolled his eyes at her.

"Yes, I do." She raised an eyebrow at him before she opened the book to the first page of names.

"First normal name on this list is Aaron." Beca crinkled her nose. "Uggh, I have no desire to go through a huge baby name book, reading names aloud, to find something we both like. Can't we write down a bunch of names and then look up the meanings or whatever later?" Jesse grabbed the book from her hands and shut it, placing it onto the table. He grabbed one of the containers of food and started digging some of it out to set on his plate. She did the same, pouring some of the wanton soup into her bowl. They traded containers, filling up their plates with a ton of food.

Beca and Jesse ate in silence as they wrote down a bunch of names on the paper. He started with boy names. He chewed on his a piece of chicken, staring at the blank page for a moment before he began to write down the names that he liked. They had both finished a plate and a half of food before they were done compiling their lists. He made little check marks next to his favorite names. "So, why don't you read your list?" She said, holding her list to her chest. He nodded his head, tearing it off of the pad of paper to get a third list ready—the names that they both liked. He read off the boy names, and she chewed her lip, occasionally telling him when she liked a name, as well. By the end of it, they had a list of six boy names that they both agreed on: Alexander, David, Ethan, Gabriel, Nathan, and Samuel. Beca grabbed the baby book. "Alright, let's find out what these names mean. Alexander means protector of men." She cocked her head to the side.

"That's kind of cool. Like, our baby would be a total badass with a name like that. He might be the next president. Or Jean-Claude Van Damme." She rolled her eyes at him.

"You're such an idiot. Alexander is nice, I guess." He grinned at her, writing the meaning beside the name. She flipped a few pages to find the meaning of the next name. "David means beloved." She smiled. "I like that one."

"Me, too, but it's still not as badass as Alexander." She rolled her eyes at him, again. (One of these days, they were going to roll right out of her head, because she did it to him so much. He'd still screw her, though, because she would always be hot to him, even without eyes.) They continued looking up the meaning of the names.

"Tell me how we picked six names with Hebrew origins." Beca laughed. Jesse grinned at her.

"Um, obviously the Jews are awesome, so…" She flipped him off, rolling her eyes. "You know, Rebecca is a Hebrew name, too. So, it was like your parents were guaranteeing that you were going to marry someone who was Jewish." He wagged his eyebrows at her, making her laugh and shake her head.

"You're really freaking strange, you know that?"

"Eh, that's why you like me." He winked at her before looking down at their lists of names. "Okay, so I really like Alexander, David, and, well, Gabriel is my middle name, so…"

"I like those three the best, too. I wouldn't be opposed to naming our son Gabriel." She said, not meeting his eyes. His heart started pounding in his chest a lot faster. Their son. Shit. This was really real. They were picking out baby names to name their baby once they knew what the sex of him or her was.

"Alright, so we could do Alexander David. Alexander Gabriel. David Alexander. Gabriel Alexander. Gabriel David. David Gabriel doesn't sound as good." Jesse paused. "I like Alexander and Gabriel together—'Protector of men' and 'Hero of God?' Our kid would never be bullied with a name like that."

"Not Gabriel Alexander." Beca said after a moment of doodling letter combinations on the back of her list of names. Jesse frowned, not knowing why. "G.A.S." They started chuckling at that. "He definitely would be made fun of if we named him that."

"Alright, no to Gabriel Alexander." He sighed. "So, we have to decide on A.D.S, A.G.S., D.A.S., or G.D.S. Which of the combinations do you like the best?"

"I really like David. Gabriel David would work. Or Alexander David. Or David Alexander. Or David Gabriel. Uggh, this is hard. How about we come back to it later? We have plenty of time to narrow down between those three names. And, there is a fifty percent chance that the baby is a girl, so it doesn't matter."

"Okay, let's do the girl names now." He read of his list of names, and again, she told him which names that she liked. "Oh, c'mon, Beca. I really like the name Mae. Can't we add that to the list, too?"

"I don't know. Mae seems like a country bumpkin kind of name." He studied her facial expression and didn't think she realized Mae is the same as _May_, just spelled differently.

"It's pretty. Mae Swanson sounds nice."

"It's okay…" She crinkled her nose. "Fine, add it to the list." He grinned, writing it at the bottom. Their finalized list of girl names was: Abigail, Josephine, Melanie, Olivia, Rose, Samantha, and Mae.

"I can't believe you wouldn't let me put down Charlotte."

"Just because we both can agree on the name of Gabriel as a possible contender if we are having a boy, it doesn't mean we have to have Charlotte on the list, too. I'm not as obsessed with having a daughter that has my middle name somewhere in her name as you happen to be about having a son sharing your middle name in some capacity." He sighed.

"Whatever. What does Abigail mean?" She quickly found it in the book.

"It means exalted or joyful father."

"Done. No need to look at the others. We have our daughter's first name." She stared at him.

"What?"

"Beca, you have no idea how fucking excited I am to have this baby, do you? To name our daughter something that _means_ that? It is fate. If it's a girl, we name her Abigail. Little Abby Swanson." She smiled, resting her hand on her bump.

"Hey, little one. If you are a baby girl, would you like to be named Abigail? Or, is daddy a dummy?" The baby started kicking. "I know! I think he is such a huge dummy, too." Beca joked, and Jesse smacked her lightly on the upper arm before he slid his hand beneath her shirt to rest on her stomach.

"The baby's kicking; it likes the name Abigail."

"Or, he or she is agreeing with me that you're an idiot."

"C'mon, Beca. I love Abigail." She stared at him for a moment before nodding her head.

"Abigail it is, but let's look up the meanings of the other names, too. I won't give Abby a middle name that sucks." He grinned at her, pulling his hand from her stomach to quickly write the name down on the paper as their daughter's first name—if the baby was in fact a girl. She flipped through the book until she found Josephine. "The Lord's addition. Her name would be ridiculously Biblical-sounding with Abigail Josephine as a name—the exalted father turns into Father with a capital 'F' after pairing it with a name that means the Lord's addition."

"Yeah, I want the exalted father to represent myself and not the big guy upstairs. No to Josephine." He crossed it off the list. "Melanie?"

"It means dark-complected." Beca said after she found it. She shook her head, and Jesse immediately crossed it from the list, as well. "Abigail Rose is pretty. A.R.S."

"I like Abigail Rose Swanson, too." He said.

"Cross Samantha off the list." She said suddenly, making him look up at her in confusion.

"Why? What does it mean?" He asked her.

"No, it's not the meaning, but the name itself. We can't name our daughter Abigail Samantha."

"Why not? I think they sound good together."

"We aren't naming out daughter Abigail Samantha Swanson. A.S.S.? That is worse than Gabriel Alexander Swanson."

"Uggh!" Jesse immediately crossed off Samantha. He could picture it now: oh, hello, this is my daughter, A.S.S. _Yuck_. "Bye-bye, Samantha." Beca started flipping through the baby book, but then stopped. He raised an eyebrow at her, trying to keep the smile off his face, because the last name was Mae.

"Seriously, though? Mae." She smacked him on the upper arm with the book in her hands.

"What's wrong?" He said with as straight of a face as he could muster, rubbing his shoulder.

"I bet you're pleased with yourself. We aren't naming our daughter Mae after the incident that resulted in her existence!" He started laughing then, and she smacked him again with the book.

"It took you long enough to figure that one out." He said through his laughs.

"I'm sorry that I didn't think you were going to be a tool and try to sneak that name in there. I refuse to name our daughter Abigail Mae."

"But it sounds so good together, Beca. It's the perfect name!"

"I like Abigail Rose better. I think it sounds better than Abigail Mae."

"Nope. I want Mae."

"Jesse. Stop. We can't name our daughter that."

"Why not?"

"You realize that she is going to ask one day why we chose the names we chose, right? I'm not going to be the one to tell her that we chose the middle name of Mae, because it is an alternate spelling of the month that we made her in. That's fucked up."

"No, it's not. It's a good name. We don't need to tell her that she was made in the month of May. We could just say that we really liked that name."

"She's going to be able to do the math!"

"Um, if she is really grossed out by us having sex, we will tell her she should be thankful that we did it or else she wouldn't be alive."

"You can't say that to your kid!" Beca shook her head at Jesse, laughing. She laid her hand on her stomach, because the baby was kicking like crazy. "The baby is going nuts. Do you think it is trying to tell us that it is a she or that we are arguing over a middle name for no reason, because it's a boy?"

"I think that it's a she, and she is trying to tell you that she loves Daddy's idea for a name." She smacked him hard on the upper arm before she grabbed his hand and laid it on her stomach.

"Feel it. This baby is going to be a dancer or a soccer player or something." She closed her eyes, smiling at the sensation of the baby within her stomach. He pulled himself from his chair and knelt before her, rubbing the skin of her stomach.

"Hey, little one. Are you excited that Mommy and Daddy are talking about baby names? Do you like the name Mae?" He laughed when he felt the baby kick hard. "See, Becs, she wants the name Abigail Mae."

"Uggh, now I'm hoping for a boy so we don't have to worry about it." She muttered to herself. He mocked a gasp and leaned close to her belly, whispering against her skin.

"Don't listen to Mommy! She'll love you know matter what you are. She will also eventually let me have my way to name you Abigail Mae when you're born. If you're a girl, of course."

"How exactly do you think you're going to be able to do that?" Beca asked as she stared down at Jesse. He locked his eyes with hers and pressed a light kiss on her stomach.

"Mommy doesn't have faith in Daddy's persuasive skills, little one." He said quietly, not moving his eyes from hers. She cocked an eyebrow at him, holding his gaze. After a few moments, he broke eye contact and pressed another kiss to her stomach before pulling away. He began cleaning up the table, while she watched him, her arms crossed.

"I'm waiting to see how you are going to persuade me to pick the middle name of Mae."

"You'll see soon enough." He said over his shoulder as he loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. When he was finished cleaning up the table, with the more finalized list of names tacked onto the fridge by a magnet, he walked back over to her and took her hands in his. "Time to get ready for bed."

"Jesse, it is barely seven-thirty." Beca scoffed, rolling her eyes. "For the first time in this pregnancy, I'm not exhausted at the moment. Although, I might have to pee…" She bit her lip.

"I said it's time to get ready for bed, not that we're going to sleep." Jesse told her as interlaced their fingers and led her towards the stairs.

"What if I don't want to have sex with you?" He laughed, shaking his head at her.

"When don't you want to have sex with me?" He joked. "This isn't about sex, Beca. We're gonna go upstairs and take a nice, relaxing bubble bath. When we get out, I'm going to give you a foot rub, because I know your ankles have begun to start bothering you. Then, when we are going to get into bed, and whether or not we have sex is up to you. Although, we both know what my vote is, but I'm fine with just holding you in my arms and hearing about your day and talking to you about whatever you want to talk about."

* * *

Jesse wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they sat at their table the fancy restaurant where they were meeting her parents for dinner, and Beca shook like a leaf beside him. Mia and her husband, Tom, were supposed to be joining them, but Mia had apparently given birth two weeks before, which _no one_ thought to tell her about until her father had called to ask her if his and Sheila's presence at the dinner and the party were "really all that important" and why couldn't she just tell them "over the phone what was so imperative" for them to have to "take a day off of work and fly across the country to eat dinner with her and her husband on a Friday night and to go to their party the following night." He watched her shut down after that part of the phone call with her father, wrapping an arm around herself and turning her back on him. He felt his jaw tense, and he wanted to jump through the phone to punch her father in the face. _Douche_. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. He felt her relax into his chest. Apparently, her father and Sheila didn't want to leave Mia and Tom alone with baby Tommy, so she gave Dr. Mitchell a snappy remark about the perfect blond daughter being an imperfect mother. Her father's response was to sigh loudly and to say that he and Sheila would "humor" her and come to LA for the weekend.

"It is gonna be okay, Becs." Jesse told Beca, pressing a kiss to the side of her head and running his free hand over her swollen stomach. "Focus on the fact that tomorrow night, you and I are going to cut into a cake and find out the sex of our baby." He watched as she closed her eyes and leaned more firmly against his side. She moved her hand to rest on top of his, her fingers running over the back of his hand. He glanced down at their hands, realizing that they were their left hands. He watched how their rings shined beneath the dim lighting of the restaurant.

"I'm so excited. I can't wait to find out what he or she is and we can finally decide on the name." Beca turned to look at him. Jesse felt her gaze on his face as he studied their hands. He glanced up to see that she, too, and focused her gaze on their left hands. Her nose twitched, and she looked away for a moment before she turned her attention back onto him. She raised her free hand to rest against his cheek. "You heard our baby for the first time today." She whispered softly to him.

"Yeah, I did." Jesse grinned, readjusting their hands on her stomach so that their fingers interlaced. He leaned his head forward to rest against his forehead against hers. "Did I ever tell you thank you for giving me my baby?" He whispered, closing his eyes. She moved her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck.

"Only about a hundred times since the doctor's appointment and about two hundred times during it." She joked, leaning forward to press a light kiss to his lips. She didn't often initiate their kisses, so whenever she did, it always took him a moment to respond. He always did so with greater intensity than when he initiated their kisses (except those kisses that led to sex—those kisses were definitely intense and passionate when he initiated them, for the obvious reasons). He released her hand to kiss her more fully, sliding his hand into her hair. She pulled away from him after a moment, looking into his eyes. "You're going to be an amazing dad. This baby is lucky to have you." She whispered to him, smiling.

"No, the baby is lucky to have you as its mom." She rolled her eyes slightly, pressing another light kiss to his lips. He didn't try to deepen the kiss this time, because they heard a cough and a sigh.

"Now, Beca, is that really an appropriate way to act in public?" Beca jumped at the sound of her father's voice. She pulled away from Jesse, running a hand through her hair. He wanted to pull her back into his arms, because he could feel the tension and embarrassment rolling off of her at being caught sharing their private moment by her father. She had no need to be embarrassed, though. Her dad was just being his usual douchey-self. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly, before he sent a tense smile to Dr. Mitchell and his second wife.

"Actually, Dr. Mitchell, I think that this is exactly how couples act in public, especially those who haven't even been married for four months." He said as she stood and leaned across the table to press a kiss to both of their cheeks, all the while gripping his hand in hers. He pulled his hand away and held it out to his in-laws, shaking them quickly. The moment that his hand slid from Sheila's, it immediately returned to its rightful place interlaced with hers.

"Dad, Sheila, why don't you both take a seat?" Beca waved her hand at the seats to the left of Jesse. "We're waiting on Mom and her boyfriend. What's his name?" She turned to face him, chewing her lip. "Brad?"

"I think," he shrugged. Dr. Mitchell and Sheila gingerly sat down. A waiter walked by, asking for drink orders.

"A bottle of your best white. That work for you and Jesse, Beca? You're mother and whatever flavor of the week she brought with her will have to suck it up or order their own drinks." Dr. Mitchell said, barely throwing a glance in their direction.

"Actually, Beca and I aren't drinking tonight." Jesse said, squeezing Beca's hand lightly. He turned to face the waiter, telling the man their orders. "I'll take a Coke, please, and Becs, a ginger ale?" She nodded her head.

"Yes, a ginger ale, please."

"You're not drinking? Since when do you not drink?" Dr. Mitchell said with disbelief. Sheila stared at Beca, her eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry we're late, darling. Brad and I…got a little _caught_ up in the hotel room." The first Mrs. Mitchell walked up to the table with a man who was probably three years _younger_ than her daughter. Beca's eyes widened, and Jesse had to admit that he, too, did a double-take at the sight of his mother-in-law draped all over some _kid_. Beca squeezed his hand tightly under the table. He interlaced their fingers, giving her a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and he felt her body relax slightly beside him.

"That's fine. Sit." She said, standing up again and leaning across the table again to press a kiss to her mother's cheek and to shake hands with a guy that could pass as her younger brother, with her hand was still locked with his. He smiled (read: _grimaced_) as he shook both of their hands. He hated having to let go of her hand to do it. When he was finished and everyone was seated, he pulled her chair closer to his, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and reaching over to inter lace his fingers of his left hand with her left hand on top of the table. She let out a deep breath, leaning her head back against his arm.

"Here's your wine." The waiter set the two sodas down in front of Beca and Jesse and began to pour wine for the other four.

"You're not drinking, sweetie?" Beca's mother asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently, she and her husband are not drinking tonight." Dr. Mitchell said, taking a sip of his wine. Her mother frowned.

"Why not? Is something wrong? Honey, is your husband an alcoholic?" Her mother whispered (read: said in a normal volume) to her behind her hand. "Sweetie, you don't need to give up alcohol just because he is. If Jesse's struggling, you shouldn't be forced to give up something, too."

What the fuck? Jesse didn't know what to make of this woman, and apparently, Beca didn't know either, because she just stared at her mother with her jaw dropped for a moment before she suddenly began sputtering disjointed sentences about how he wasn't an alcoholic. He squeezed her hand again reassuringly, and she finally snapped out of her surprise to shake her head at her mother, roll her eyes, and then glance over at him with a small smile on her face. "If anything, Jesse's abstaining out of support for me."

"What? Is being married to him so bad that you've become a drunk? I just knew that this whole marriage thing was a bad idea! Now my daughter's an alcoholic!" Beca's mother moaned, pressing a hand to her forehead, making strange choking sounds as if she was holding back tears. "You should have listened to me, Beca! I told you that marriage was a farce, and you were better off just screwing him for the rest of your life if you really wanted to."

"Bridget! I cannot believe you told our daughter that!" Dr. Mitchell said harshly, glaring at his ex-wife from across the table. He rolled his eyes after a few moments. "If Beca were an alcoholic, it is not because Jesse is a bad husband. It's probably because she finally realized that being married means she can't drop him every time things get a little too serious."

"Thanks, Dad! Whenever I'm feeling particularly saintly, I know exactly who to go to in order to remember just how much of a slut I really am." Beca spat, pulling her hand away from Jesse and crossing them on her chest. Shit, she was shutting down. He hated them for doing it to her. What the hell is wrong with these people? "And if you want to blame someone for my _promiscuity_ over the last twelve years of my life, you can blame yourself, Sheila, and Mom." All three of them opened their mouths and began exclaiming about how wrong she was.

"Jesus Christ! I've had enough of this!" Jesse said as he pushed his chair back from the table. He grabbed Beca's hand and started to pull her from the table as he glared around the table. "We're leaving. Consider yourselves uninvited to the party tomorrow night. Neither one of us is an alcoholic, but sometimes I wonder why the hell Beca isn't one considering she was raised by the two of you." He waved his free hand from Dr. Mitchell to the first Mrs. Mitchell. "You're both fucking crazy." He glared at Sheila when she gasped and started muttering something about disrespect, and she immediately shut up. "Beca and I—scratch that. _Beca_ wanted to sit down with you all to tell you something important that is happening in our lives, but if I had it my way, you wouldn't even be here. You people have no idea how _amazing_ your daughter is; you just continue to treat her like garbage and as a way to hurt each other. It's _pathetic_. She turned out to be this wonderful person in spite of having you people as her parents. For some reason, she still loves you and tries to involve you in her life. If I had my say at all in anything that has to do with you people, you never would have come to the wedding, and you sure as hell wouldn't be sitting down at this table right now, but your daughter wanted to involve you."

"Jesse," Beca said as she pulled on his arm. He looked over at her, and he could tell that she was upset, but she was concerned about calming him down. "It's okay. I'm used to it. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal? Are you kidding, Beca? These people are your parents! They're supposed to love you unconditionally and stand by you even when you fuck up royally, not act like it is no big surprise that you're a failure or constantly put you down. They treat you like shit, and I don't want my kid around that."

"What?" Dr. Mitchell and the first Mrs. Mitchell said at the same time. "Honey, you're pregnant?" Beca's mother added, pressing a hand to her mouth.

"Yes, we're pregnant." Beca said, wrapping her arms tighter around Jesse's arm. "I'm due in February."

"Well, it appears that you got pregnant out of wedlock then. At least you're married now. What would all of my friends think if you two were still living in sin and bringing a bastard into this world?" Dr. Mitchell muttered. Jesse's jaw tightened, and he shook his head.

"You've got to be kidding me?" He started, but Beca just dug her nails into his arm, making him look over at her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were shiny. He knew she was going to start crying soon.

"Sweetheart, I hope this wasn't planned to make sure that he stays with you. You know as well as I do that having a child with someone doesn't keep them around. Your father certainly didn't. He chose a new family over us."

"Becs, we're leaving." Jesse said, pulling Beca away from the table. "Don't expect to be let in the door of our home tomorrow night. Or any involvement in our child's life."

"Jesse, they're my parents. I can't deny the baby the chance to know his or her grandparents." She said as he practically dragged her out the door. He narrowed his eyes at her as he led the way to his car.

"Yeah, well, I don't want my child to be subjected to the piss-poor treatment that you were as a child. I don't want my kid to be scarred by them." He said, throwing the passenger door open for her. She pulled away from him, crossing her arms on her chest.

"You constantly say that I turned out great, but apparently that is all bullshit. You think I'm scarred? Broken? Thanks a lot."

"You did turn out to be this amazing person, Beca. It's a wonder you're not fucked up and in jail for killing people based on how you were treated by those assholes. But you know as well as I do that you're scared shitless when it comes to letting people in. I don't want my son or daughter to build up these massive walls around themselves, not letting anyone in. I don't want my son or daughter to think that sex is the only thing worthwhile that he or she can get from another person. I don't want my son or daughter to keep people at arm's length out of protection because he or she was hurt so much. That's what you do, and it took a forced education for you to get close to your friends from college, and it took a forced marriage to get you to open up with me. I don't want to have to force things on my kid in order to get him or her to find good friends. I want my kid to take every opportunity that comes his or her way. I want my kid to fall in love at fifteen and get heartbroken and learn from it. I want my kid to be _happy_."

Beca wiped at the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Jesse took a step towards her, but she shook her head, stepping back. "I was happy with my life before all this happened. I loved my job. I loved my friends. I loved having the freedom of being single. I was happy." She snapped.

"No, you weren't." He told her, shaking his head sadly. "You want to know the first time I ever really saw you happy? Like really _happy_? It was today, when the ultrasound was being performed, and you heard our baby's heartbeat and you saw him or her on the screen. That was the first time I ever saw you smile, and your whole face lit up. It was the first time I ever saw you take down every single one of your walls. It was the first time I ever really saw you _love _something. I know you love Chloe and the girls; I know you love your job, but what you feel about this baby. It's so _different_. It's so much _more_. Sure, this baby wasn't exactly planned, but you've embraced it, and for the first time, I know what you look like when you're happy."

He felt winded when he finished, because it was true. He _wished_ that she felt that way about him, but she didn't. He knew that she was going to be an amazing mom, because she was already an amazing wife and friend, but she wasn't happy with him. For the first time, he realized it. She probably wasn't going to ever be happy with him, not while she was forced to be married to him. They hadn't even been married for a full four months, and he finally realized _why_ she kept bringing up the divorce. No matter how much he wanted her to fall for him, to stay with him, he finally realized that she wouldn't. It would take their getting divorced, their attempting to raise a child together as two separate people. Maybe then she could see him as something other than the person that hung the noose around her neck, as something other than her best friend, as something other than the person who fathered her child.

"Jess," Beca swallowed and took a hesitant step towards him. "You've seen me happy." Jesse shook his head, giving her a sad smile.

"No, I haven't. Not really, not until today. Even all of those times that you and I talked about the baby; it was never like how I saw you today. I know that the moment that baby gets here, I'm probably going to have to fight you for a moment with him or her." He joked, looking down at his feet. He couldn't look at her, because it _pained_ him to know that she didn't feel anything towards him, or at least not anything _close_ to what he felt about her.

"You make me happy, Jesse. You're my best friend." She stepped closer to him, raising a hesitant hand toward him. His eyes moved to her hand, and he saw that it was shaking. She paused, holding about three inches from his chest. After a moment, she rested it against him, over his heart. "It took barely two months of living together for me to realize that." She stepped even closer. She lifted her hand off of his chest and then wrapped both of her arms around his waist, laying her cheek against the place her hand had been laying moments before. "You've made me happier than anyone else in my entire life ever has, even more than Chloe and the other girls. You've put up with all of my bullshit over the last five months, and you've stood up for me. You've given me the most amazing thing I could ever ask for." She dropped her hand from his back and grabbed his hand to rest against her stomach. "We're having a baby." She whispered. "There is a little boy or girl growing inside of me, and it's half of me and half of you."

Jesse finally moved his gaze to hers. Beca gave him a small smile. He realized it then. He was _in love_ with this woman. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and their baby. He wanted their family to stay together. He tried to smile at her, but he couldn't. He felt like his heart was swelling and breaking all at once. It was _excruciating_. She furrowed her brow, standing up on her toes, pressing herself more firmly against his chest, trapping their hands in between them, against her the swell of her stomach. She brushed her nose against his, their eyes locked. He moved his other hand to rest against her cheek, leaning his head forward to lay his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and tried to keep the tears from slipping down his cheeks. He wanted to kiss her, and he was pretty sure that she wanted him to, but he couldn't do it. After realizing that he _loved_ her, he couldn't bring himself to pretend that it was all just an act. He couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't kiss her or _make love_ with her (God, he hated that cheesy phrase, but it was true; he didn't want to have sex or to fuck her—he wanted to _make love_ to her). It would hurt him too much. "Jesse?" She said quietly, and he shook his head. "Jess, kiss me."

"I can't." He whispered back.

"Yes, you can. You just put your lips onto mine and move them around. Not all that hard."

"Beca," he sighed, fighting to keep the smile off of his face. She's ridiculous.

"Jesse, I'm actually giving you permission to kiss me right now. I'm telling you that you can take me home and work out all of your aggression and hatred towards my parents in the form of giving me killer orgasms. Kiss me."

"I can't." She pulled away from him, and he could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't open his eyes.

"Why won't you kiss me?"

"I'm tired. I just want to go home and climb into bed and get some sleep."

"We can go home when you tell me why you won't kiss me."

"Beca, please."

"No, Jesse. Open your eyes and look at me. Why won't you kiss me?"

"Because I'm tired. Because I'm not in the mood to have sex. Because I just want to go home and climb into bed with my wife and hold her and just…fuck, I don't know."

"Do you not find me attractive? I mean, I'm five months pregnant now. I've gained about fifteen pounds over the course of five months. That's kind of a lot. I'm sure that I'm not exactly sexy anymore…"

"It's not that, Beca." She shook her head, not meeting his eyes.

"It's fine. I get it. I'm not sexy, and you're no longer attracted to me. I'm just fat and ugly an—" He cut her off by kissing her forcefully. He hated himself for doing it, because he knew that she was just feeling insecure about her appearance, and instead of being honest, instead of telling her that he didn't want to kiss her because he had feelings for her and knew that she didn't return those feelings, he kissed her and tried to _show_ her how he was feeling in that kiss. He pressed her against the car, his hands tangling into her hair so that he could angle her head better. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingernails digging into his skin. Her hands slid up his neck, into the hair on the back of his head. He groaned into the kiss when her fingernails scraped along the skin there. _Fuck_! This isn't what he intended.

When air became a problem, Jesse broke the kiss, pulling his face a few inches away from Beca's. They both panted slightly like dogs during the summer. He studied her face, taking in the rosiness of her cheeks, the glaze over her eyes, and the swollenness of her lips, how red they were from his bruising assault of them. Her tongue flicked over her bottom lip, and he decided that he needed to _taste _it. Within seconds, he was back to kissing her, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth to curl around hers. She moaned into the kiss, arching against him, shifting her stance to wrap one leg around his calf. He rocked his hips into hers, and she moaned again. He needed to get a hold of himself. He was like a fucking teenager, trying to have his way with a girl in the backseat of his car. This was sick. This wasn't the way that he showed her that he _loved_ her; no, this was showing her that he _lusted_ after her. There was a huge difference between the two. He broke the kiss, detaching himself from her and taking a step to the right to lean against the open door of the passenger side of the car. "You're not fat. You're not ugly. You're sexy as fuck. Don't ever think anything different." He said after a few moments.

Beca blew out a breath, running a hand through her hair. "Wow." She ran her fingers across her lips. She shook her head, as if trying to regain her composure. Jesse readjusted his stance, because he had a huge hard on for her, and he didn't exactly want to fuck his pregnant wife against the side of his car in the parking lot of a fancy restaurant. He wanted to go home and worship her body, to _make love_ to her. Shit, he shouldn't be doing this. It was like an addiction. He finally woke up and realized that he can't keep sleeping with her or else it would destroy him, because she didn't want a real marriage between them, but then he kissed her, and now he wants to show her just how real it could be between them. Seriously, he was definitely an idiot. "Jesse?" He looked over at her, and she was biting her lip in a way that was decidedly too sexy for a woman who is twenty-seven years old and pregnant with his child. He was about to do the dirtiest things to her in a crowded parking lot.

"Let's get out of here." He moved out of the doorway, letting her move past him and get into the car. He started to shut the door, but she grabbed his hand, holding it in hers for a moment before she raised it to kiss his knuckles.

"Thank you for standing up for me with my parents." He bent over, pressing a kiss to her forehead, squeezing her hand.

"No problem." He pulled away from her, shutting the door and walking (with some effort due to the tightness in his pants) around the front of it to the driver's side.

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**Author's Note: Let me know what you think about this chapter. EEEEKKK! So, Jesse loves Beca! AHHH! I know you're all freaking out and wondering when Beca is going to realize that she loves Jesse. We all know that is probably going to take some time…aka the birth of the baby…and some other stuff. Then, they actually have to admit to each other that they love the other person! After the next chapter, the story should start to speed up some. **

**Also, small polls:**

**Using Gabriel, Alexander, and David, what kind of combo do you like for the baby if it is a boy?**

**Should it be Abigail Rose or Abigail Mae if it is a girl? I love both combos, but part of me REALLY wants Jesse to use his best powers of persuasion to get Beca to agree to Abigail Mae. ;)  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect **_**Story**

**Chapter 15**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: Chapter 15 was originally 24 pages long, but I decided to divide it in half. The first half is the thirty-ish minutes before the party, and it has A LOT of Beca/Jesse moments. Quite a few of you have requested some more pregnancy sex, so your wish is my command. There is also a serious conversation for Beca and Jesse. I really hope that you all enjoy this chapter. So, without further ado, Part 1 of the Party!**

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Beca felt like one of those cheesy girls that are always depicted in the movies (not that she really watched those until she started living with Jesse—she made a mental note to punch him in the dick when she next got the chance, because she had seen far too many of those kind of movies now; he was such a douche bag for forcing this on her) or television shows (she watched more of them than she liked to admit before Jesse came into her life; they were then replaced almost entirely by movies due to Jesse's obsession) who laid out pretty much every clothing combination _imaginable_ on her bed before the first date or the _big_ date that she suspected was going to end with a ring on her finger and a declaration of love made by her boyfriend in front of her family and friends and random strangers on the street. Except, this _wasn't_ her first date, and she already had the ring on her finger (_two_ rings, if you wanted to get specific), along with _two_ declarations of love (even if they were _fake_) in front of their friends and family and strangers. No, she was acting like those cheesy girls right now, because she was trying to decide what she was going to wear when she announced her pregnancy to all of her friends.

Beca stood in front of her bed in nothing but a pair of navy blue and white striped cotton boy shorts-style panties (slightly sexier than the usual "granny panties" that she had been sporting since her waist decided to balloon up, because they were from Victoria's Secret, so her a lot more of her butt cheeks hung out than other panties in this style, and they had a little bit of pink lace and a little pink bow. She was just happy that they didn't have some inappropriate phrase on them, like "this way to happy" or "naughty girl" or something. She had way more _class _than that…at least, she hoped she did) and one of her "sexier" nursing bras. (Um, there really _wasn't_ anything sexy about a nursing bra, but it was white and lacy, so she liked it just fine, and it matched her underwear, so she felt like she had her shit together.) She stared at the two outfits that she had laid out on her bed. One was a navy blue Maxi dress, and the other was a pair of pregnant-lady jeans and a loose-fitting navy blue maternity top that was just _girly_ enough that she felt like slamming her head against the wall for owning it, but one of the _least_ girly maternity shirts that the store had sold. The first time that Jesse found out that she _always_ matched her clothing, down to her underwear, he laughed so hard that beer came out of his nose, which made his eyes water and for him to scream in pain, to which she had responded, "karma's a bitch, asshole." Suffice to say, he never made fun of her desire to match ever again. She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at the two outfits.

"Wow." Beca jumped at the sound of Jesse's voice. She glanced over her shoulder to see that he was leaning on his right side in the doorway with his arms crossed; his eyes were tracing up and down her nearly nude body. He looked good, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a fitted black button-up shirt. Well, fuck, now she was horny.

"Uggh! Stop being such a pervy asshole." She told him, biting her lip. He grinned, standing up straight. He made his way towards her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"I can't help it when you look like this." He whispered against the skin of her shoulder, running a hand across her stomach. She blushed. She _never_ blushed when a man told her that she looked sexy, or alluded to it anyways, but she didn't _feel_ sexy anymore.

Beca had spent about an hour carefully shaving her legs and under arms, painting her fingernails and toenails navy blue to match her clothes (shut up!), curling her hair to perfection, and expertly applied her makeup. She didn't normally try to look girly or pretty, but she was starting to feel uncomfortable with how her body looked. Her stomach was _huge_. Okay, so it really _wasn't_, but it _felt_ and _looked_ huge to her; fifteen-point-five pounds were _a lot_ of extra weight on her tiny frame. Her face had blown up, as well; she totally had chipmunk cheeks now. Well, maybe they weren't _that bad_. Amy had assured her that they weren't, because she didn't exactly trust Jesse's claims that she looked great. He was regularly getting fucked by her, so if he wanted that to continue, he was gonna keep telling her that she looks good. Then, she got nervous that Amy was lying to her about how good she looked to try and make up for hurting Beca's feelings during their big blow up, so she went to Bumper, who is a dick most of the time and was willing to give people his honest opinion without sugar-coating it. He told her that he'd fuck her if he got amnesia and forgot that he had a wife and what a colossal bitch Beca was, so she _finally_ believed that her cheeks didn't look all that bad. She also gagged at the thought of Bumper saying that he would fuck her, because…_gross_.

Then, there were Beca's breasts. While they had eased up on their tenderness (or maybe she had just gotten used to it?), they were now officially a C-cup, which is one cup size bigger than what she was used to, so now she was probably going to have to buy all new bras once the baby was born. They were also _ugly_. She didn't need to ask Jesse or Amy or Bumper if they thought her boobs were ugly now; no way. She just _knew_ they were ugly, because she could totally see them. The veins in her breasts were now _way more pronounced_, so her boobs looked like when the Asian chick in the one _X-Men_ movie got stabbed with the liquid metal and you could see it flowing through her body during the big fight with Wolverine (_fucking_ _Jesse_ _Swanson!_), except the veins were purplish-blue and thick and gross looking. She also had fucking _stretch marks_ on her boobs. She didn't really have many of them on her stomach or on her legs or on her sides, because she thought she had done a pretty good job at gradually gaining weight over the course of her pregnancy and from using those creams, but she never had thought that she would need to put the cream on her boobs! So, now, they had these dark red squiggly lines (mixed in amongst the purpley-blue veins) on her boobs. Oh, God, her nipples! They were the worst, she was sure. They were huge now, and much darker in color. Okay, so that isn't bad, but now they were bumpy and kind of greasy to the touch; she had read online and in baby books that that was to reduce the chaffing, which was a big help from the way that her bras rubbed against them or when Jesse put his mouth or fingers there. (To his credit, he has kept any disgust at the sight of her super gross boobs to himself. She totally appreciated that. She made a mental note to give him a blow job sometime soon as a thank you for keeping that to himself.)

To make matters worse, Beca discovered that morning in the shower, much to her dismay, that her nipples had began to leak this gross yellowish stuff while she was washing her body. Sufficed to say, she got pretty freaked out, and the second she was done showering, she pulled on her robe and rushed out of the bathroom and over to the bed where Jesse was still sleeping. She then punched him in the back of the head (and continued to do so repeatedly), screaming about how he gave her an STD or something. She then called Brian to schedule an appointment to get checked out, telling him what was going on; he calmed her down and told her that her breasts were just leaking colostrums, which was the early breast milk, and that it was perfectly _normal_ for her nipples to leak it. So, then she had to apologize to a half-unconscious Jesse who was clutching his head in pain; normally, she would be laughing her ass off, because she enjoyed seeing people in pain, but her stupid pregnancy hormones made her start bawling instead, which only pissed her off and made her cry harder, because apparently her sadness and anger were connected during pregnancy. So, the moral of this little story was that Beca Swanson (_uggh_!) was an extra crazy, hormonal bitch at the midpoint of her pregnancy, her breasts were ugly, gross, huge, and _fucking leaking_, and she never wants Jesse's mouth near her nipples _ever again_.

Anyways, between her stomach, her cheeks, and her breasts, Beca felt completely unattractive, so she decided to make an effort with how her hair and makeup looked. She had even taken the time to use more care when applying her heavy amount of eye makeup so that it looked less like a three year old had applied her eyeliner and mascara and gave the more professional, elegant "smoky" eye look. "Stop. I'm gross." She told her husband (_UGGH!_), who was still staring at her lecherously.

"You're not gross." Jesse said, turning her body to face him. "You're sexy, and you're pregnant. There is nothing gross about you." He pressed a light kiss to her lips, running his hands up her sides to cup her breasts in her bra. "Fuck, I love your boobs." She whimpered, because she hated her boobs. She was never having sex with her bra off again. _Ever_. "I loved them before, when you wouldn't let me touch them, but now that I do get to touch them, and they're _huge_, I love them even more." He squeezed them lightly, making her moan. She hated that her body was betraying her in that moment, because she wanted nothing more than to let him do whatever he wanted to her breasts.

"They're ugly." She let out a shuddering breath as he kissed down her neck, sucking lightly on her collarbone. "They are veiny and gross and fucking leaking. That isn't okay, Jesse. That isn't sexy."

"Everything about you is sexy." He pulled back to look into her eyes. "I'm serious, Beca. If the party wasn't starting in less than a half hour, I would totally throw you down on that bed and tear those cute little panties off of you. It isn't enough time for me to show you just how sexy I think you are." He kissed her heatedly, despite her crinkling her nose in disgust at his use of the word "panties."

"Uggh, don't say panties ever again," Beca muttered when Jesse finally pulled out of the kiss. "It makes you sound like a creepy old man trying to get a kid into your van." She told him, her eyes fluttering shut as he sucked on the spot just below her ear.

"Good to know that my pedophile voice is in prime shape." He said into her skin, biting down lightly on artery in her neck. "If it weren't for the pregnant belly and your huge boobs pressing against me, you would totally pass as an eight year old little boy with long hair. I can get plenty of practice using it on you. Then, again, I don't have a van, so I guess I'm shit out of luck." He said as his hands slipped behind her back to grab at the hooks of her bra. She stopped his hands, because it was difficult enough to get into the thing, she didn't want or need to put it on a second time. The good thing about a nursing bra is that she could leave it on but still expose her breasts to Jesse, since he was insisting on getting all up in their business. As long as he kept his mouth away from them, she was game (she was quickly forgetting just how ugly she thought her breasts were when he was kissing her and touching her like this). She unhooked one of the cups from the straps of the bra, chuckling slightly at the surprised look on his face.

"I totally knew that you were secretly gay and that I was really your beard." She moaned as his hand cupped her exposed breast, while the other fumbled to unhook the other cup one-handed. "I…_ah_…wouldn't…_God_…go around…_mmmm_…telling anyone…_so good_…about your desire…_fuck_…to bed small boys." She could barely form a sentence with the amazing feeling of him massaging her breasts in his hands, occasionally tugging lightly on her nipples. She laid her hands over his, stilling them for a moment, to give him a mischievous grin. "You might get arrested. Or killed."

Jesse grinned and pulled his hands from beneath Beca's to run them down her sides to her waist, turning her body and pushing her lightly so that she sat down on the bed between the two outfits she had laid out. He dropped to his knees in front of her, kissing her forcefully. His hands slid beneath her underwear to cup her butt, pulling her more firmly against him. "Let me show you just how _not_ gay I am." He muttered against her lips, as he pulled her underwear down, exposing her lower half. She held onto his shoulders as she raised her hips, helping him to quickly pull the underwear down her legs. He dropped them onto the floor beside him. She bit her lip as he stared at her, and she found getting extremely aroused by the sight of him kneeling before her and taking in her nearly naked body.

"Take off your shirt." She told him. She wanted to see him. He stood up, quickly unbuttoning his shirt, tossing it onto the floor beside her underwear. He then unbuttoned his jeans, yanking down the zipper to reduce the pressure on his growing erection. Her eyes roamed his chest and stomach, stopping at the bulge beneath his boxers. He closed the distance between them, biting her bottom lip as he slid one hand between her legs. His fingers stroked her, pressing inside of her and making her moan against his mouth. "Fuck," she gasped as she pulled back to take a deep breath. He smiled at her, rubbing his thumb against her clit, making her hips jerk against his hand. "This isn't going to make me change my mind about the name Mae." She told him, making him laugh breathlessly against her neck, where he had pressed his face.

"I'll get you to agree to it…" He sucked lightly her neck. He kissed his way down her neck towards her chest, and she froze. She grabbed his hand, stilling it between her legs and tugged on his hair to stop his mouth from latching on to one of her nipples.

"I don't want your mouth on them anymore." He pouted.

"I like your boobs."

"Well, I'm not exactly into the Mommy-Adult Baby fetish." He sighed, nodding his head. His eyes latched onto her breasts.

"I'll miss you both very much." He said, making her chuckle. She thought he was being cute and stupid at the same time, talking to her breasts as though they could hear him. His rested his free hand onto her cheek, leaning forward to kiss her lightly as his hand started moving again between her legs, making her moan into the gentles kisses.

"You can't mess up my hair," she said as his hand slipped down her neck to settle onto the back of it. He pulled away from her to stare her in the eyes.

"Seriously? You realize that we're having sex right now? You're hair is bound to get messed up."

"I spent an hour getting ready because I don't exactly feel pretty anymore. If you ruin my hair, I will castrate you and keep your dick as a dildo."

"Wow." He shook his head. "That really gets a guy in the mood. By the way, castration is when you remove someone's balls, not their dick."

"Well, my kind of castration includes the whole enchilada."

"Please don't refer to my genital region as Mexican food."

"Mmmm, I could eat an enchilada right now." Beca bit her lip as she thought about spicy Mexican dish. Jesse pulled his hand from between her legs, drawing her attention back to him. "What are you doing?"

"You're obviously not into this anymore if you're concerned about your hair getting messed up and thinking about eating Mexican food."

"I'm into it. I swear…" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I'm into it, Jesse." She said softly, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. She pulled back from the kiss to look him in the eye. "I got a little distracted from all the talking, but I want to be with you. Please don't stop." He studied her for a moment before kissing her gently.

"Are you ready?" She nodded her head, and he pulled her hips to the edge of the bed. She yanked on his pants and boxers with her hands to expose him to her. She pushed his pants further down his thighs with her feet as she wrapped her hand around him, stroking him slightly to make sure that he was completely ready for her. He moaned, leaning his forehead against her. "It's going to be quick." She nodded her head again, shifting so that her lips brushed against his. He knocked her hand out of the way and adjusted her waist, guiding himself inside of her. They both moaned when he settled himself completely inside of her. He pulled back out slowly and repeated the process, setting a slow pace at first before he started rocking into her harder and faster. He pulled back from the kiss, locking his eyes with hers, balancing his weight on his hands behind her back, pressing his body against the front of her so that she was leaning back on an angle.

Beca shifted her legs, wrapping them around Jesse's waist. One arm was wrapped around his neck, anchoring her body to his, while the other arm was on the bed behind her, gripping the blankets in order to hold her body up to keep her hair from getting too disheveled. The position wasn't the most comfortable, especially because her stomach was pressed against his in a not so comfortable way. She realized that having a quick session of sex before a party when your five months pregnant probably wasn't the best idea, especially the position that they were in. "Jesse," she moaned out, because his body rocking into her felt so amazing, despite the awkward position. "I need…"

"I can't move my hands to touch your clit, or I'll lose my balance." He grunted, leaning his sweaty forehead against hers. He thought that she was going to say that she needed more (she did, but that wasn't what she was trying to say to him). Shit, she was going to have to fix her makeup. Did she have time to get cleaned up, fully dress herself, and to fix her makeup after having sex before their friends arrived?

"No," she shook her head. "I need to change the position. My stomach…there's too much pressure." He pulled away from her instantly, ignoring her groan when he pulled out of her. He pressed both of his hands to her bump.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay? I guess we need to start doing the other positions, because you're getting so far along."

"I'm fine. It was the angle. If I was lying down, I probably would have been fine. I just don't want to screw up my hair. I'll already have to touch up my makeup." Jesse rolled his eyes, sliding his hands from the bump to Beca's hips, pushing her further onto the bed so that she could turn over and get on all fours. He pulled her by the hips so that he was standing behind her, and he ran a hand along her spine.

"I don't like this position as much." He said after a few moments, brushing the hair off her neck and back so that he could lean over her to press a kiss to the top of her spine. She glanced over her shoulder at him when he leaned back.

"I could be on top if you want. Would that be better?"

"I like looking into your eyes." He said quietly. "I like seeing you. I also like that it takes longer in the other positions. It's too quick this way for both of us." His phone began buzzing from the pocket of his jeans, which were still bunched around his ankles. "Fuck, we don't exactly have all the time in the world right now. This way will get us both off faster." One of his hands squeezed her hip while he used the other to guide himself into her. He began rocking into her hips at a rough, fast past, making both of them moan at the friction that it caused. He slid the hand on her waist up to cup one of her breasts that was hanging through the undone cup of the nursing bra. His other hand slipped around her waist to rub against her clit, which made her jerk back against him and moan loudly. Within a few minutes, his thrusts became more erratic and shallow, and she knew that he was nearing the precipice of an orgasm. She was so close, too, but she needed a little more.

"Harder, Jesse. I need more." She told him, and he began pushing into her harder, stroking his fingers in tighter circles against her clit. She moaned, and she felt herself slipping towards the edge. It was his orgasm—the way that he ground his hips into her, rather than thrusting into her, the way he massaged her breast so that his palm rubbed relentlessly over her sensitized nipple, and the way that his chest fell against her back, pressing his body so close to hers-that brought about her own orgasm. She moaned loudly, and her body clenched around his, dragging a groan out of him.

After a few moments, Jesse pulled away from her, and Beca did her best not to fall into a heap onto the bed. She was still on all fours when she felt him return, a cool washcloth sliding between her legs to clean her up. She whimpered, because she was still feeling super sensitive. When he was finished, his hand disappeared with a light smack to her left butt cheek, making her squeak from the sting and her indignation. She carefully climbed off of the bed backwards. She bent over, grabbing the pair of underwear from the floor, pulling them up her legs. "Who was calling you?" She asked as she settled her underwear onto her hips and began to refasten the cups on the bra, hiding her hideous breasts from view once again.

"Hat. I think he and Chloe are almost here." Jesse said when he walked back into the room, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. "You're hair's fine." He began to button up his shirt, and she wondered how he could look as though he didn't spend the last ten minutes having sex with her, whereas she was a sweaty, nearly naked mess. Fucking guys…wait; did he say that Chloe and Dean were on their way?

"Shit." She glanced frantically between the two outfits. "Jesse, what do I wear?"

"What? Is that why you were standing in your underwear when I found you? Since when are you one of those girls who doesn't know what to wear. You get ready quicker than I do in the morning."

"Um, hi, did you not notice the two outfits I had laid out on the bed? They're a little rumpled right now. Shit, they didn't get anything on them, did they?" She began to inspect the clothing, looking to see if they had gotten any of their fluids onto the clothes.

"Didn't notice them." Jesse shrugged, and Beca stared at him like he was stupid. "What? I got a little distracted by my sexy, pregnant wife standing in her bra and panties near our bed." She grimaced.

"I told you not say the word panties. God, your pedophile voice is going to give me nightmares."

"Oh, don't start! You're going to ruin the post-sex haze we've got going on now. I don't appreciate being called a pedophile."

"You're the one that started it!"

"How did I start it? You're the one that said I sounded like a pedophile!"

"You're the one who used the creepy pedophile voice! You're also the one who first said the word pedophile!"

"Stop calling me a pedophile!" He frowned. "Question…would it make me a pedophile if I had sex with my high school girlfriend after I turned eighteen even though she was still sixteen?"

"I don't know! What was the age of consent in Canada?" Beca stared at Jesse. What the fuck? Where did this conversation come from? She was amazed at how their conversations transitioned from topic to random topic. Were they really debating about pedophilia and the age of consent in Canada?

"I don't know." He pulled his phone from his pocket and started clicking buttons.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking up the age of consent in Canada."

"Why? Does it really matter?"

"Yes, because I need to know if I committed statutory rape of my old girlfriend."

"You're such an idiot. I honestly don't think she would really care now if you did. Plus, we don't want to go around and draw attention to it if you did, because you totes would be sent packing back to Canada for sure. I don't the US government is too keen on foreign rapists." She rolled her eyes and looked back down at her clothing. After a few moments, she decided that she had to know what he found out. She didn't know why, but she _had to know_. "So, did you? I have to know if my husband's gonna go to jail or not."

"Nope. When I was growing up, the age of consent was apparently fourteen, but laws changed and now it's sixteen." He said, staring at his phone. "Although, fourteen and fifteen year olds can have sex with people up to five years older, and twelve and thirteen year olds can have sex with people that are two years older. Anyone younger than that is apparently incapable of deciding whether or not to engage in sexual intimacy."

"Seriously?" She stared at him in disbelief. "Fucking Canadians."

"Hey! I take offense to that. We Canadians are awesome…and pretty fucking liberal."

"Twelve year olds are legally allowed to have sex with someone who is fourteen? Fourteen year olds can have sex with someone who is up to nineteen years old? Really?" She laid her hands on her stomach. "Think about your kid. Do you want your son or daughter having sex at twelve or with someone who is four or five years older than him or her?" Jesse's eyes widened, and Beca watched him frantically begin typing on his phone again. "What are you doing now?"

"Looking up the age of consent for California." He sighed in relief. "Thank God! The age of consent is eighteen, which means that I can threaten any person who tries to have sex with my kid with legal action. Beca, am I allowed to own a gun if I get properly trained in how to use it and follow all the correct safety precautions."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not? Don't you want to protect your son or daughter from getting sexualized too soon? I know I do."

"You're probably going to wind up shooting yourself while learning how to use it, and either you would die or I would have to take care of your injured ass. Neither of which is all that appealing to me. Although, I think I would take death over having to care for you while you're recovering from a bullet wound."

"Really? You would rather I would die?"

"Yes, because that way I would make money off of you, and I could find myself a hot pool boy to shower all of that said money on. Plus, I wouldn't be forced to take care of your stupid ass because you shot yourself."

"Wow. It's a good thing Danielson never asked a question like this during our interviews. I would have responded that of course you would be a dutiful, loving wife who would care for her ailing husband."

"Yes, I would care for you in the sense that I would hold a pillow over your face."

"Huh…that's horrifying. Remind me to never get sick around you." He stared at her with widened eyes. "Even though _I_ took care of _you_ when you were sick due to morning sickness. And, I wait on you hand and foot every day." He muttered quietly, and she glared at him. She decided to ignore the latter part of his response and focused on the former.

"I'm surprised you didn't learn that I'm pretty scary by now. Also, I wouldn't let you have a gun in this house, because you would probably accidentally wind up shooting whomever you were threatening and then you'd go to jail. Unless, if someone breaks into your house, you're allowed to shoot people and get away with it?" She shrugged. "You know, I think that is what is considered okay, but only if they are inside of the house. It's self-defense then. With _my_ luck, _you_ would shoot the person before they walked through the door and get arrested that way. And, if somehow you make it through actually learning how to handle a gun and avoid accidentally killing yourself and others, our kid might come across it and accidentally shoot him- or herself. So, no gun."

"I take offense to your assumption that I wouldn't be able to handle a gun. I'll have you know, I'm killer at paintball. And laser tag. And, I took archery during summer camp when I was growing up. My hand-eye coordination is rather stellar. Plus, you've told me repeatedly that I have the reflexes of a cat. I think I would be an excellent gun owner."

"There will be no gun in our house."

"You're not the boss of me." She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Would you like to continue to have a penis and testicles? Would you like to continue to use them…with me?"

"Yes, please." Jesse laughed, shaking his head. His face darkened for a moment before one of his fake smiles slipped onto his face. She hated when he did that. "Well, I guess I will have to wait until after we get a divorce to buy the gun, and it will stay with me and our kid."

Beca felt like someone punched her in the gut, and she quickly looked away, staring at her the clothing in front of her, hoping that he didn't see the agony she was feeling when he said that. She knew deep down that they were going to get a divorce, and she kept bringing it up, to remind herself that everything between them was just friendship and pregnancy hormones, but to hear him say it—to hear him actually bring it up for the first time—it _hurt. _It actually surprised her how much it hurt to hear him bring up the divorce and raising their child as two separate people—as _friends_ rather than a _couple_. Which, they weren't. They _weren't_ a couple. "You will not have a gun around my child, Jesse." She told him sternly, and she could practically hear the eye roll that he gave her.

"This was fun, Beca. Our banter is always highly entertaining, but we need to focus on the issue at hand: getting you dressed. We have like six minutes until our guests will begin arriving, and, you are just about naked. I personally don't find this to be a problem, if you were to only have the girls over or if it was just the two of us tonight, but the guys are gonna be here, too, and I don't want to have to punch anyone in the face for trying to screw my wife." It was her turn to respond with an eye roll, because none of them were going to try and hook up with her, because almost all of the men attending the party tonight were either married or in committed relationships, aside for Unicycle. Did he really think she would try to screw Unicycle? No matter how great the guy's abs were (or the rest of his body, frankly), she still wouldn't touch Unicycle with a ten foot pole, because the asshole _still goes by Unicycle and STILL RIDES A UNICYCLE_.

"I don't want to draw too much attention to my stomach until we announce the pregnancy." She chose to ignore the fact that he really had no _claim_ to whether or not she had sex with someone besides him or the fact that he thought she would have sex with any one of their male friends.

"Well, whenever you wear a dress, it does show…less." Jesse tried, shrugging his shoulders. Beca nodded her head.

"That is why I started wearing the Maxi dresses. As soon as I began showing, I bought a bunch of dresses, because I didn't want to _look_ pregnant when we were around each other until you and I got a chance to talk." His face clouded momentarily, and she frowned, because she knew he was thinking about how angry he was that she kept the pregnancy from him for so long, as well as his reaction to it when he did find out. While she had forgiven him for how he acted, her heart (shut up! She did have feelings; just because she didn't often acknowledge them or talk about them, she did have them. _Sometimes_. And, he _hurt_ her feelings that night; he made her _cry_) and her ego were still slightly bruised over how he blew up at her. They hadn't talked about it too much since that night. Had it really only been two weeks? They should probably sit down and talk about everything again.

"Although, you just said it yourself; you're not really a dress person and didn't really wear them all that often before you got pregnant, so the girls might be suspicious if they see you in a dress and be actively looking for a reason why you're wearing one." She smiled sadly at him when she saw that he bypassed the topic of that night completely, but she could still hear how upset he was as he said the words.

"You're right." She picked up the dress by its hanger and returned it to her wardrobe. She walked back over to the bed and began pulling the pants on. "It might be better to wear a shirt and pants, anyways, because if it were physically possible for a grown person to climb inside of a woman's vagina, Chloe would find a way to do it in order to get up close and personal with this baby." She said, trying to make a joke. It worked, because he laughed, but it wasn't quite like his normal laughter, which made her sad. "She totally would have pulled my skirt up in front of everyone to get at my stomach, and I would have wound up flashing the entire party my ass, my new found cellulite, and my swollen as shit ankles. At least, if I'm wearing a shirt and pants, she would only be yanking up the shirt to make out with my stomach or whatever she's gonna do, and I wouldn't be showing off everything I now have to offer to the entire party."

Jesse helped Beca pull the shirt on completely. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her gently against him into a hug. "You don't have cellulite. Believe me, I would know. I've seen more of you below the belt in the last two weeks than you've seen of yourself in the last few months, so I think you can trust me when I say that you still look amazing despite any weight you have gained." She rolled her eyes at him before resting her forehead against his chest. If anyone (read: Jesse) said anything about the fact that she was breathing in his smell, she would punch him in the face or the gut or the balls, because she totally _wasn't_. (Okay, she _was_, but he didn't need to know that she loved how he smelled and did her best to, like, _sniff _him whenever they were in each other's personal space. Okay, so that sounded totally weird; it was better to say 'breathe in his smell,' right? Either way, she felt like a total freak for doing it, so she didn't want him to _know_ that she did it.)

"Jesse," Beca began, but she stopped, because she didn't know what to say. She wanted to apologize to Jesse about keeping the pregnancy a secret. She had her reasons why she didn't want to tell him, but she still felt bad about keeping him out of the loop and then making him feel bad for getting upset when he found out the way that he did. She felt a strange pressure in her stomach, but she ignored it, brushing it off as nerves over what she was about to say to him. "I'm sorry that I kept the pregnancy a secret from you for so long. I shouldn't have waited five weeks to tell you. I'm also sorry that I wasn't the one that told you, but that you had to find out from Phil and Gladys." She didn't want to look at him, so she continued to press her face against his chest. She felt him squeeze her hips, his fingertips digging slightly into the control top of the pregnancy jeans.

"Becs," he started, but she shook her head. She wasn't done.

"No, it was wrong of me. I know that I gave all of these excuses, like I didn't want to distract you from your work on the movie and that you were so busy, but the truth was that I was scared. I was scared of telling you, because we were never supposed to sleep together. We were never supposed to have a kid. We were never supposed to be like a normal married couple, and I didn't know how to go about telling you that I got pregnant, because you and I were drunk and made the mistake of having unprotected sex." She paused again, pulling away from him and turning her back on him. She didn't want to look at him or touch him for the part that she was going to say next. "I was also scared of your reaction. I was scared that you were going to react the way you did…well, sort off. I was scared that you were going to be angry and to blame me for it, not that you would get angry because you thought that I got pregnant by someone else. Or, that you would be indifferent—that you wouldn't care, that you wouldn't want to be involved in any capacity, because this wasn't a real relationship, so you didn't have any desire to be tied to me or this baby. I think that is where that nightmare that I had came from. I was so scared that if I lost this baby that you would be out the door the second these two years were up, like everything that happened was nothing."

"Beca, I would have never reacted that way." He walked around to stand in front of her, grabbing her by the chin to raise her eyes to look into his. "Well, I mean, I did overreact and get angry that you kept it from me, but I think we both can understand why that was understandable. I had to find out because my boss and his wife noticed that you were pregnant, and I felt like an idiot, because _I didn't_. Although, I shouldn't have blown up the way that I did, but I was so sure that it was Cole's and not mine. What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry that I acted the way that I did when I found out, but if we had actually talked about it the second that you found out that you were pregnant or when you first suspected that you were, I wouldn't have _not cared_. I love _thisbaby_." He said the last two words really quickly so that they kind of blended together. She knew that he loved the baby now, but, at the time, she was scared that he was going to react negatively. Although, Jesse had always been a great guy, and their friendship had come a long way after they slept with each other that first time. "We can't go back and change what happened, no matter how much we wish we could. Sure, it would have been nice if I could have been there with you when you first found out you were pregnant or that we sat down to talk about it that night, but I'm not completely free of fault either. I should have taken the time to check in with you better over those weeks, but I was a shitty husband, who was only focused on himself."

"You weren't that shitty. You were busy and excited about getting to work on a film. I'm really proud of you, Jesse. You deserved it. You deserve to get another shot. You're really talented."

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright, ending it with that. Please let me know what you think of this chapter in a review and THEN move on to Chapter 16/Part 2 of the Party? **


	16. Chapter 16

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 16**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: Part 2 of the Party has arrived! Some giggle-worthy stuff is ahead!**

* * *

_"You weren't that shitty. You were busy and excited about getting to work on a film. I'm really proud of you, Jesse. You deserved it. You deserve to get another shot. You're really talented." _

Jesse didn't get a chance to respond, because their front door flew open, and they heard the voices of their best friends as they entered the condo. "Beca! Where are you?" Chloe's voice echoed up the stairs. "Where's Jesse?"

"We're up here, Chlo." Beca called out, stepping away from him.

"Ooh! Were you guys having a quickie before we all showed up!? Beca, you slut! I'm so proud!" The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs made Beca freeze and glance down at her stomach to see if the shirt limited the appearance of her stomach. It was rather obvious that there was a swell there, and she looked up in alarm at Jesse.

"Of course not! I was just fixing my makeup." She called back to the redhead, still looking at Jesse in concern. He grinned, rushing to the closet (he had moved a lot of his clothes over into her room over the course of the last few weeks gradually, much to Beca's dismay), and he pulled out his white cardigan sweater that was much bigger than her clothes. He quickly brought it to her, helping her to pull it on. Just as she was finished adjusting the sweater so that it hid her stomach beneath its folds, Chloe sauntered into the room, a huge smile on her face.

"Damn!" She pouted. "I was hoping to see Jesse's ass. Dean won't let me check out other men anymore." She joked, pulling Beca into a hug before releasing her to pull Jesse into one. He gave her a wide-eyed look over the redhead's shoulders, and she almost laughed at the thought that had Chloe and Dean arrived about ten minutes before, she would have gotten to see Jesse's bare ass.

"Well, married women aren't normally supposed to check out men who aren't their husbands." Beca said, ushering her redheaded friend out the door, with Jesse following them.

"Are you okay? You look a little flushed, and your forehead is sweaty." The older woman said as they started down the stairs.

"Um, I think I'm coming down with a bug," Beca said quickly, pressing a hand to her forehead. Shit, she was still clammy. She was just relieved that Chloe hadn't commented that the room smelled like sex when she came up the stairs; thank God for mild Octobers in California, because the windows were open. (Shit! Did the neighbors hear them having sex? How often did they have sex with the windows open? Did the neighbors think they were nymphos? Mr. and Mrs. Klein were in their seventies; they didn't need to be kept up at night by Beca and Jesse fucking like rabbits.) "I'm blaming Jesse for kissing too many asses lately. He probably brought something home."

"She's just pissed that I've gotten hit on a lot over the last few months. Women are totally drawn to me now that I'm off the market."

"Like your boss's slutty daughter? You want to date a child? Have at it, Mr. Swanson." Beca said, crossing her arms and glaring at him as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She was alluding to their pedophile conversation not too long before, making him roll his eyes at her. "You and Janelle could be very happy together. She could, '_like_, totes show you around the UCLA campus,'" she said, mimicking Janelle's voice to the best of her ability. Jesse laughed, his head falling back. He wrapped his arms around Beca's waist from behind, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Why would I want some sophomore at UCLA when I could have my beautiful, surly wife?" He asked, pressing another kiss to her neck, biting down gently on her skin, making her squirm.

"Get off of me, you douche." She said, elbowing him lightly in the stomach. He only squeezed her waist more tightly with one arm, raising the other to turn her face by the chin so that he could kiss her.

"Never," he told her when he pulled back.

"You guys are so _FUCKING_ _CUTE_!" Chloe squealed, clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

"I swear to God, Wharton, if you piss on my floor like an excited puppy, I will fuck you up." Beca said, pulling herself from Jesse's arms. Dean walked into the entryway from the dining room, holding four beer bottles by their necks. He handed two of them to Jesse and the third to Chloe, who slapped his upper arm.

"Shit! What was that for?"

"Why don't you act cute like that with me? Jesse's a way better husband than you!" She said, smacking his arm again. She took a sip of her beer, winking at Beca over the mouth of the bottle. Beca smiled, taking one of the bottles from Jesse's hand and raising it lightly to toast Chloe.

"What are you doing?" Jesse whispered to her when she raised the bottle to her lips to take a sip.

"Nursing one beer for awhile won't hurt the baby, especially because I haven't had anything to drink in about four months." He furrowed his brow for a moment before nodding his head. She took a sip of the beer, walking over to her friends. She smiled at them both, listening to Chloe chatter on and on about one of the artists that she was working closely with and how much of a bitch the girl was. She discreetly pressed a hand against her stomach, which was still stretched tight, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She tried to brush the sensation off as nothing but nerves about the upcoming announcement of the pregnancy, focusing on chatting with Chloe and Dean. After awhile, the sensation subsided slightly, and she started to feel better.

Within about forty-five minutes, the entire condo was packed with their friends. Beca thought that she was doing a pretty good job at keeping people from noticing her rounded stomach beneath Jesse's sweater, as well as the fact that she was nursing the same beer the entire time. Jesse stayed by her side for most of the forty-five minutes, which she suspected was because he wanted to keep an eye on how much she drank. As if she would dream of putting her baby at risk in any way! She might miss alcohol _so fucking much_, but she would never put the baby at risk by drinking too much of it. About halfway through, she started to notice that her stomach felt off again. It was almost as if her stomach felt tighter and more pressure. She wasn't in pain, but she felt different. Again, she brushed it off as nerves, because a few minutes later, the sensation subsided once again. When she finally finished the beer, she excused herself from Jesse, Donald, Donald's wife, Patty, and Stacie to go to the kitchen to dispose of her bottle and to grab a glass of apple juice.

As Beca took a sip of her freshly poured juice before returning to the room where her guests were mingling about, she noticed that the sensation had returned. She put the glass down and pressed her hands over her stomach. It was much tighter than usual. She frowned, sitting down at the kitchen table for a few minutes, trying to ease the tension in her neck and shoulders, as well as to loosen the tightness in her stomach. She didn't like the feeling. She didn't know what it meant, and it made her feel nervous, which only stressed her out further. She just wanted to get the news over with, and then everything would be fine. "Becs?" She jumped, pressing a hand to her heart. She saw that Jesse was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching her. "You okay?"

"I'm nervous." She told him, grabbing her juice glass to take another sip. "I'm all tense, and my body feels weird. I just want to tell them and get it over with."

"Do you want to tell them now? We planned on waiting to tell people when they started grumbling about wanting dessert, but if you want to tell them now, we can tell them." He came over and sat down in the chair beside hers, laying a hand on her forearm. "Whatever you want."

"Everyone is going to be all over me and want to know what we're having and stuff. I guess we could just try to push dessert on people sooner?" She asked him, giving him a tensed smile. "I just want this party to be over so I can relax and get some sleep. Plus, I want to know what I'm having. We have to finalize what the baby's name is. We have to paint the nursery. We have to move all of the furniture to the basement and then actually set up the nursery. There is so much to do, and not so much time left to do it." She closed her eyes. "Sorry, I just need to relax."

"What do you need me to do to help you relax?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I think I need to take a couple of deep breaths." Beca closed her eyes and took a deep breath, laying her hands on her belly to feel its rise and fall. She heard Jesse stand up and walk behind her, and she leaned into his touch when he began to gently massage her shoulders and neck. The combination of the massage and the deep breathing helped her to relax after a few minutes. "I think I'm good." She whispered.

"Good. We better get back before someone comes to investigate why we've been gone."

"Eh, Chloe's probably telling them that were fucking in the kitchen."

"Exactly. You don't think she'd want to spy on us? If she could be in the bed with us, she would probably join in."

"Stop. I don't want to have sex with my best friend." He grabbed her by the hands to help her stand up.

"I thought I was your best friend."

"You're my best friend with a penis. She's my best friend with a vagina." She told him, making him laugh.

"Vaginas are better than penises." He said, sighing, with a pout on his face.

"Personally, I'm partial to penises, so we will have to agree to disagree. Although, I can appreciate a good vagina."

"Really now? I thought you were just messing with me when you said you've hooked up with a couple of ladies. Is there something you need to tell your husband?" She winked at him, before walking as quickly as she could (read: not very quickly at all) out of the kitchen and back towards her friends. "Hey! Wait a minute! You never answered my question!"

Jesse chased after Beca, catching up with her as she sandwiched herself between Brian and Jessica. They had been chatting with Amy (she and Beca still hadn't _fully_ made up, but Beca did understand that her blond friend was only worried about her and wanted to make sure that she and the baby were okay), Bumper, Dean, Chloe, and Unicycle. "Jesse, you look flushed." Chloe said with an amused look on her face. "Did Beca jerk you off in the half-bath or something?" She winked at Beca, who choked on her mouthful of apple juice.

"Dude, no!" She reached out to smack the redhead on her arm. "I'm telling your right now that I'm not playing paintball." She said quickly, returning the conversation to what Unicycle had been saying just as she walked up.

"You suck, Beca." Unicycle whined. "I totally think a guys-versus-girls paintballing competition is in order!" He held his hand up to Bumper, who high-fived him.

"No way!" Chloe and Dean said at the same time. The redhead turned and beamed at her husband. "Aww, baby! You agree that it isn't fair to split up the couples?"

"Actually, I was just saying that, because I want Beca on my team. I'd be scared to be on her opposing team." He said, grimacing. Everyone started chuckling, but Chloe pouted.

"You don't want to be on my team, but you want to be on Beca's team? Douche." She turned her head away from him and took a sip of her wine, refusing to look at him when he tried to apologize and tell her that he loved her and that he would love to have her on his team.

"You know, I don't know which would be worse," Brian said, taking a sip of his drink. "Not being on Beca's team or actually _being_ on Beca's team. Something tells me that she would totally sacrifice someone in the name of winning." Beca grinned and winked at him.

"You said it, sir." She held her glass of juice out to him, and Brian returned the toast, chuckling.

"Beca keeps teasing me about having sex with women. Is it true or not true?" Jesse asked Chloe, with his head cocked to the side, completely bringing all conversation about paintballing competition and how scary competitive his wife could be.

"Jesse!" Beca glared at him. "Asshole!"

"Totally." Amy, Jessica, and Chloe all said at once. "Jinx!" They all called out a second time, giggling.

"Wait, wait, wait! How did I not know that Beca was a vagatarian at one point or another?" Bumper asked, making Beca flip him off.

"It was college. Everyone experiments in college." Chloe shrugged, taking a sip of her wine. "Beca and I made out a couple of times."

"That was because you insisted on shoving your tongue down my throat at Hood night, then again at the New Year's party, and then again at Aubrey's twenty-second birthday during my freshman year!" Beca exclaimed. Hearing her name, Aubrey excused herself from where she was chatting with Benji, Cynthia Rose, Denise, and a couple of their other friends.

"What about my birthday party?"

"Beca's being defensive about making out with Chloe." Amy told her, making the older blond laugh.

"Oh, my God! That was the funniest thing ever! We were all at Smitty's, remember? Beca was being a bitch and refused to sing karaoke with us. She drank about five apple martinis in a row."

"They tasted like shit. I couldn't look at a Granny Smith apple the same way for three years. How can you like that shit?" Beca asked Aubrey, gagging slightly at the reminder of the drink's foul taste.

"If I remember correctly, Chloe said that Beca didn't have to sing karaoke with us if she agreed to make out with her in front of her boyfriend at the time. What was his name? Jack?"

"Oh, Jack!" Chloe said, giggling. "Whatever happened to Jack?" She pouted to Beca and Aubrey, who both shook their heads.

"Um, hi!? Husband over here." Dean waved his left hand in front of himself. Chloe smiled at him.

"Well, you're way better in bed than Jack ever was, don't worry!"

"Yeah, I was real worried." Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"You broke up with Jack because he tried to have sex with Stacie." Jessica told her. "Stacie got really drunk and decided to strip down to her underwear while Amy sang that song about a stripper."

"T-Pain is my shit!" Amy said, nodding her head. She proceeded to start singing _I'm 'n Luv (wit a Stripper)_.

"That's my favorite song!" Stacie said excitedly, running over to the group and started rolling her hips in time with Amy's singing. Chloe started harmonizing with Amy, and soon all of the girls were dancing around and singing backup for Amy and Chloe.

"Wow." Jesse said, shaking his head. "I…wow." He started chuckling. "Anyways, can we get back to the topic at hand? I want to learn about my wife's dabbles in lesbianism." He said, staring pointedly at Beca, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Beca and I never had sex, but she looks really great naked." Chloe said with a smile.

"You've seen her naked?" Bumper asked in surprise. "Dude! Hat, did you take advantage of the obvious lady-lovin' between your wife and Beca?"

"Hey, dude!" Jesse said, smacking him upside the head.

"We've all seen each other naked." Aubrey said, rolling her eyes. Somehow, instead of being a bunch of sectioned off groups where people would come and go to each group, they had become one big circle, chatting. "We all went to Myrtle Beach for spring break my senior year at Barden, and we rented a house that only had two bedrooms and two bathrooms."

"Oh, yeah! We moved all of the furniture out of the one bedroom into the other and set up the two beds and three air mattresses in the empty room. I think you me and Beca shared the one bed, then Jessica and Ashley shared another bed. Cynthia Rose and Denise shared one of the air mattresses—they were dating at the time. Lilly and Stacie shared another air mattress, and then Amy had the last one to herself." Chloe laughed, remembering the trip. "We put all of our clothes in the other room and pretty much everyone wore everyone else's clothes. We all walked around the house naked most of the time, though."

"Remember when we all got invited to that party those frat guys were hosting. We met them on the beach." Ashley said, laughing. "Amy, Lilly, Cynthia Rose, and Denise had all gone back earlier to take shower and nap, and the rest of us rushed back to get ready, because there was six girls who needed to be showered and dressed in an hour."

"It was me, Chloe, and Beca in one shower, and then Stacie, Jessica, and Ashley in the other." Aubrey said, laughing. "The six of us were done showering in I think twenty minutes?"

"How in the hell do three girls shower at once?" Dean said, shaking his head. Beca laughed, because it took Chloe a good twenty minutes normally to shower _on her own_, so he was probably trying to figure out how three of them did it all at once.

"Shower stations." Beca answered for them. "There was the rinsing off station, the shampooing or washing station, and the conditioning station. We would rotate through them."

"Naked?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you shower with clothing on normally?" Beca responded, shrugging her shoulders.

"We were helping the environment." Aubrey joked, rolling her eyes. "Plus, Amy had insisted that we all go for our leg, underarm, and bikini waxes right before we went on spring break, so we didn't have to shave that week, making showers so much easier."

"I got a Brazilian." Stacie said.

"No one cares, Stacie." Beca responded.

"Everyone cares what the state of my bush is. Or, rather, lack thereof."

"You're disgusting." Beca scoffed, grimacing.

"Would someone please tell me about the women Beca's had sex with!?" Jesse pouted.

"Beca and I hooked up." Stacie said, shrugging her shoulders. Jesse's eyes widened in shock as he looked between Beca and Stacie.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, she said she never did it with a girl, and I told her I would do her. She got really drunk for it, and we had sex. She's really good at using her mouth and fingers, but I'm sure you know that." Stacie winked at Jesse, who blushed (If Beca weren't embarrassed by this conversation, she would have found Jesse's blushing to be adorable.)

"Oh, my God." Beca moaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. All of the guys present groaned as well, because they were picturing Beca and Stacie having sex. "Stop!"

"Remember that chick that Beca hooked up with from Aural Magic our sophomore year?" Jessica laughed. "They were our competition after the Trebles lost out to our two teams at Regionals. She wanted to insure that we moved on from the Semi-Finals, so she hooked up with that chick 'cause she was the group's lead singer and then broke up with her right before the competition, throwing her off her game."

"Wow, guys! That makes me seem like a real heartless bitch."

"You are." Ashley said.

"Well, yeah, but you don't have to actually tell people all of the horrible things I've done."

"Beca had a secret girlfriend for most of her senior year of college!" Chloe said suddenly before slapping a hand over her mouth. "Oh, my God! I'm so sorry!" Beca glared at her.

"I hate you! You promised to never tell!"

"You had a girlfriend!? Why didn't you tell us?" Stacie said. "I'm so mad at you! Who was it?"

"The girl she worked at the radio station with. Lizzie." Chloe said, shrugging. Now that the cat was out of the bag, she was going to air everything she knew, and Beca hated her for it. Beca flipped the redhead off, who bit her lip to hold back a smile.

"The blond girl?" Amy asked, shocked. She cocked her head to the side. "Never mind. I totally get it. That chick was hot. She looked like Stacie but blond and with better boobs. And, like hotter."

"No one has better boobs than me; not real ones anyways. Nor is anyone hotter than me." Stacie scoffed, flicking some of her brown hair over her shoulder. "At least I got to pop your girl-on-girl cherry."

"Can we totally stop talking about this now? I'm mortified!" Beca moaned. "I need a drink."

"You can't drink anymore!" Jesse told her, pointing a finger at her. All eyes (except Amy, Bumper, and Brian's) immediately jumped to him. He smiled tensely. "Hey, guys. So, my wife had a girlfriend her senior year of college. Cool, right?"

"Why can't Beca drink?" Chloe asked, looking from Beca to Jesse. Her eyes traveled around the group, and Beca knew that the redhead was seeing if everyone else knew something she didn't. Amy and Bumper's eyes were wide, and they were trying to casual look up at the ceiling; stupid Amy did her usual "ahhh, ummmm, hmmm" when she was scrambling for something to say that was a lie. Jess was looking at Beca apologetically, who was glaring at Jesse, her arms crossed. Everyone else was looking confused, their eyes shifting from Beca to Jesse. Well, everyone except Brian, who was staring pointedly into his own drink and avoiding looking at Beca. Chloe knew that Brian was Beca's gynecologist; both of them, along with Amy, went to him, whereas Jessica went to another gynecologist in his office, because it was a conflict of interest for her husband to be her gynecologist. Chloe must have finally realized why Brian was acting weird, because she began jumping up and down and screeching, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" She raced over to Beca, grabbing the brunette's shirt and yanking it up, exposing the swell of Beca's abdomen. "OH, MY GOD! You're pregnant!" She shrieked excitedly, dropping to her knees. She yanked Beca by the hips, so that she had no choice but to step forward. Now, Chloe was eye to belly button with Beca's stomach, and the redhead proceeded to stroke Beca's belly, cooing to the baby underneath all about how she was Aunt Chloe and how she couldn't wait to meet him or her.

"Well, that wasn't exactly the way that I wanted to tell people." Beca said, glaring daggers at Jesse.

"Sorry. It just came out. I didn't want you to drink. You already drank a beer tonight."

"What is it?" Stacie asked, as all of the girls crowded around Beca's stomach, trying to push Chloe out of the way so that they could touch it. The baby was kicking up a storm in Beca's stomach, loving all of the attention it was getting. Its mother, on the other hand, was very uncomfortable with so many people stroking and talking to her stomach.

"We don't know yet. Brian knows, but we don't. We were going to announce the pregnancy to you guys tonight, and then we were going to find out the sex together. We gave the bakery a slip of paper that Brian wrote the sex of the baby on. The icing inside of the cake and cupcakes is pink or blue, depending on the sex of the baby. The outside of it is purple icing, though." Jesse explained to them, still giving Beca apologetic looks.

"Why purple?" Aubrey asked when she finally dragged the redhead out of the way to let the other girls close to Beca's stomach.

"Jesse had a dream that Brian handed him a baby wrapped in a purple blanket and said, 'it's exactly what you wanted.' So, now the color scheme for the nursery is going to be purples, whether it is a boy or a girl." Beca told them. She looked pleadingly at Jesse, begging him silently to get the girls off of her stomach.

"Alright, guys. Beca's feeling overwhelmed." He tried, walking over to them to wrap an arm around Beca's waist. He tried to pull her against his side, but the girls ignored him.

"We don't care; you knew about the baby, and we didn't. We want to say hi to it." Ashley said, waving a hand at him. "How far along are you? You look pretty big already."

"I'm twenty weeks, which is five months. I only found out about a month and a half ago, though. Jesse didn't find out until two weeks ago, because I didn't want to distract him from his work on the movie. He was super busy, so I hardly saw him during those weeks."

"He still knew longer than we did." Ashley said, making everyone laugh.

"Guys! This is our first baby!" Denise said, making the girls all start to sniffle.

"I want a baby!" Aubrey turned to her husband. "When we go back to the hotel tonight, we're having sex. No more birth control. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Her husband, Rich, said, saluting her.

"Did anyone else get the vibe that Aubs is a dom?" Amy asked.

"Shut up, Amy!" Aubrey shrieked, her face turning bright red.

"I always thought she was a dom, because she was always super anal-retentive and obsessive about being in control." Beca replied. She glanced at the blond who was red in the face and clutching her stomach. "You better not fucking puke in my house, Aubrey! I will make you clean it up by eating it." Beca pointed at her; Aubrey's response was to flip the brunette off.

"I think that she so crazed about being in control of _everything_ outside of sex that she would need to be tied down or spanked or something during sex to really get off, so I call that she's a sub. Rich, is Aubrey a dom or a sub?" Stacie said, pulling a nail file out of her back pocket and began filing her nails with one eyebrow raised at Aubrey's husband.

"You can't ask my husband that!" Aubrey shrieked, making everyone chuckle. She shifted her glare around the group, and most of them (except Amy, Beca, Bumper, and Rich) stopped laughing instantly, because Aubrey can be fucking _scary_.

"All I'll say is this: we get great use of those handcuffs that you guys got her for the honeymoon." Rich said, grinning.

"Rich!"

"Oh, relax. Everyone knows that we're having sex."

"Guys! No one cares about your sex life. I want to know if I have a little niece or nephew in there." Chloe's shouted as she pointed to Beca's stomach. "If we don't bring out this goddamn cake right this second, I'm going torture Brian until he tells me what they are having."

"Jeeze, Chloe! You can't threaten my OBGYN." Beca said at the same time that Jessica said that Chloe couldn't threaten her husband. Jesse rolled his eyes, tapping Benji on the shoulder. The two of them slipped out of the living room, headed towards the kitchen to gather the trays of cupcakes and the small cake to set out on table in the living room, where everyone had congregated. Benji carried two trays of cupcakes, whereas Jesse carried a tray of cupcakes and the small plate that house his and Beca's cake with the cake knife balance on its edge. They set the dishes down on the table, beside the plates and forks that had been set up there earlier. He motioned Beca over to the table. "Are you stupid? You could have dropped that knife and cut off a toe. I already told you that I wasn't going to take care of you if you were sick or injured." Jesse laughed, rolling his eyes and pressing a light kiss against her lips. She pulled back, grimacing lightly as her stomach tightened again; it had been doing that on and off all night now, and she felt extremely uncomfortable with it. She blew out a breath, nervous about finally finding out the sex of her baby.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…I'm just excited and nervous. I'm so ready to find out what we are having."

"Me, too." Jesse studied her for a few more minutes. "Are you sure you're okay?" She nodded her head, biting her lip as she pressed her hand to her stomach. "Is something wrong?"

"Beca, are you okay?" Brian was at her side, laying a hand on her stomach. "You gotta tell me if you're okay."

"My stomach feels tight and uncomfortable. It's like my entire stomach is stretching tighter and squishing the baby inside of me. It's not painful, but it certainly doesn't feel good."

"How long has this been going on?" Brian asked her.

"I don't know…a couple of hours? It happens about every twenty to thirty minutes, and then it eases up a little. It started before Chloe got here." Jesse's eyes widened.

"Did I hurt the baby…you know…when we were having sex?" He said as quietly as he could, but she could tell he was worried that the pressure he put on her stomach during their first position had hurt her and the baby. He was trying to keep the fact that they had sex quiet for her, but everyone was watching Beca in concern, so they heard exactly what they said.

"Hey! I knew you two were getting it on before Dean and I showed up!" Chloe said to ease the tension slightly, but her voice was tinged with concern. Beca tried to give her an embarrassed smile, but it wasn't genuine, and everyone knew it.

"Are the spasms getting any more frequent or painful?" Brian asked, ignoring Chloe's outburst.

"Nope. They come every twenty or so minutes, like clockwork. They haven't increased in intensity, either."

"Well, it seems like you're having what is called false labor, or Braxton Hicks." Brian said, laying a hand on her stomach. Beca sighed in relief, rubbing the other side of her stomach as if to soothe the baby. "We'll keep an eye on it for the rest of the night, and if you notice any changes, tell me immediately and we will get you to the hospital to check you out. It is completely normal to have Braxton Hicks; it is just the uterus practicing contractions for childbirth. They're probably more intense or noticeable to you because you had sex recently. As you get farther along in the pregnancy, your body is preparing more and more for childbirth. The same hormone that is released during orgasm is also released during childbirth, which can influence the intensity of the Braxton Hicks. There is also a protein found in the male sperm that also softens the cervix that helps with childbirth, but since your body isn't ready for childbirth yet, it can result in intense Braxton Hicks contractions. You might be able to reduce the amount or intensity of the Braxton Hicks contractions by using the pull-out method or using a condom or not having vaginal intercourse at all."

"That sucks. The only good part about being knocked up is that the dude no longer has to wrap it up." Bumper scoffed, and both Beca and Jesse flipped him off over Brian's shoulders.

"Thanks, Brian. We will keep that in mind." Beca said, burying her face into her hands. She was completely embarrassed, because not only did her friends know that she and Jesse had sex just a few minutes before the party started, but they now were privy to some details about their sex lives—as in Brian's suggestion that they use condoms or Jesse pulled out rather than orgasming inside of her. There was no way that she was giving up vaginal sex, because she loved being with Jesse in _every_ way, and she wasn't going to deny herself (and him) the pleasure that comes from having sex with him that way.

"Can we just…um…yeah, let's just find out the sex of the baby!" Jesse said quickly, grabbing the knife. Brian stepped back, grinning at them as Jesse poked the point of the knife in the center of the cake. He slid the knife down, slicing through the icing and cake.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'M SO SORRY! I ended it there. I know you were waiting for the big reveal of what the baby is! It's in the next chapter, I promise! I wanted to throw in some cute Beca/Jesse banter, as well as some silly moments with the entire group, because I haven't had it in awhile (the last time the "friends" were around, there was the big fight between Beca/Amy, which left their friendship kind of sour). Take a moment to leave a review and let me know what you thought about it! Then, move on over to Chapter 17. I know that you all will enjoy it! ;)**


	17. Chapter 17

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 17**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: This chapter jumps around slightly. The first section takes place when Beca is 25 weeks pregnant—at her next prenatal visit, which happens to be on Monday, November 4****th****, which is Jesse's twenty-eighth birthday. The second, third, and fourth parts take place on Saturday, October 26****th****, when Beca is at the end of her twenty-third week of pregnancy. The final part will go back to the beginning of Monday, November 4****th****. I'm sure that this seems very confusing, so I will put the dates and such at the top of each section. I really think you guys are going to LOVE this chapter! **

* * *

_Monday, November 4__th__, 2013 – 10:32 AM _

"You've got to be kidding me." Beca said, staring at the monitor. "You have got to be fucking kidding."

"Beca," Jesse said, squeezing her hand and brushing a stray lock of hair behind her head. "It's okay, really. This is _good news_."

"Shut the fuck up, Jesse. I need a minute to fucking process this." She snapped at him, yanking her hand from his. She buried her face into her hands, groaning slightly. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"I'm gonna step out, and let you two have a minute." Brian said, inching his way towards the exam room door.

"Freeze!" Beca pulled her hands from her face and pointed at the doctor. "You're not off the hook, either, mister. What the fuck? How did you miss that?" She said, pointing to the monitor.

* * *

_Saturday, October 26__th__, 2013 – 11:00 AM_

Jesse dipped the paint roller into the mauve shade of purple that they had chosen for the walls of the nursery. He was painting the room shirtless and in a pair of gym shorts. He felt Beca's eyes on him. "I can feel you staring at me," he joked flirtatiously as he stretched to reach the upper portion of the wall.

"I can't help it. You look really good without a shirt on." He glanced over his shoulder and saw that she was standing in the doorway; her arms were crossed in a way that made her boobs look really good. Fuck, he loved her boobs. He was disappointed that she wouldn't let his mouth near them anymore, but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, so he did as she asked; at least she still let him touch them. He gave her an amused smile and then turned his attention back on the wall.

"How come when I say and do that, you tell me I'm a pervert?" He asked her as he painted. He heard her chuckle, and it made him smile even bigger. He loved her laugh. He loved making her laugh. Oh, who was he kidding? _He loved everything about her_.

"Because I'm the pregnant one." Her excuse made him laugh as he dabbed the roller into paint pan. He shook his head, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"That is a terrible excuse." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "You shouldn't be in here. The paint fumes aren't good for you and the baby." He was worried about her. She was nearly twenty-four weeks pregnant, and there was a very round and very solid bump on her abdomen. He was worried every time she got into the shower (he was scared that she would slip and fall); he was worried every time she went up and down the stairs. He was worried every time that she got into her car. He was worried every time she hopped on one foot in the morning as she tried to pull on a shoe as she rushed out the door for work because she overslept slightly or she had to pee fifty times while she was getting ready. He didn't want her to hurt herself (or the baby). He loved them both too much. She rolled her eyes at him.

"I know. I'm about to head out, and I wanted to stop in to say goodbye. It's not my fault that I got distracted." He gave the wall one last swipe with the roller before he set it down and made his way over to her with a smile on his face.

"Where are you headed on this lovely Saturday morning?" He asked as he slipped an arm around her waist. His free hand settled onto her cheek as he brushed a light kiss against her forehead.

"I'm meeting Chloe, Jessica, and Amy for lunch. Then, we're going for mani-pedis. They will probably try to talk me into an oxygen facial or something. I need oxygen via my mouth, not my skin, thank you. This baby is pressing against my lungs and making it impossible to breathe. Chloe and Amy are probably going to try and talk me into getting my legs and bikini line waxed, too. Chloe will probably make a crude comment or two about how my pubic hair would look by the end of pregnancy if I stopped taking care of myself. I'm sure Brian has seen pretty much everything, so what would he care if I'm not as 'pretty' down there as usual? I'm nervous about getting waxed, because I've read far too many horror stories online about how extra painful it is during pregnancy to get waxed, especially in the bikini area.

"I love how you're more concerned about what Brian thinks than me…who's down there more regularly than your friend's husband is." She grinned, shrugging her shoulder and biting her bottom lip in a way that he decided was far too cute. He _had_ to kiss her, so he did. He brushed his lips against hers gently, tugging the bottom lip that she was biting on into his mouth and sucking on it lightly. He felt her hands on his chest, her fingertips digging into the skin lightly. She pressed her body more firmly against him, which was getting a little more difficult due to the swell of her stomach. She moaned lightly into the kiss, and he decided that he needed to end it before he took her to bed rather than let her go to her lunch. Although, Chloe would probably be fine with that reason for why Beca didn't show, but he didn't think that Amy would be as understanding. He pulled back, pressing another light kiss to the tip of her nose. "Don't let them talk you into doing it if you don't want to. If you're worried about the pain, then don't get waxed."

"Then again, I can't exactly shave…anything…with this big belly. I can't see or move around it all that well." She pouted, running her hands over her stomach. He laid his hands over hers.

"I know you might think that this is weird, but I could help you out if you need me to. I shave my face, so it's not like I've never shaved anything before. If you want help shaving your legs…or whatever, I would help you out."

"You're right. I do find that to be weird." She said, rolling her eyes. "But, I appreciate the offer. I think I would like to keep some mystery about my nether regions from you. I could always ask Chloe to help me out."

"God, you two are so weird."

"Thank you." She joked. She was quiet for a few moments

"Have fun at lunch and getting poked, prodded, plucked, and painted." Beca rolled her eyes at Jesse's alliteration about her spa-like afternoon plans. "What time do you think you'll be home?"

"No idea. After all that stuff, the girls and I are going shopping, too."

"Really? You hate shopping."

"I know!" She whined, pouting. "You see, I gotta get a stupid present for some guy I know." He rolled his eyes at how her pout turned into a smirk. "You see, he has a very special day coming up. A birthday, I think? He's old as shit now, really getting up there. He's going to be _twenty_-_eight_!"

"Yeah, he sounds like a real dinosaur!" He responded, shaking his head slightly. She chuckled, and it turned into a deeper laugh after he moved a hand off of hers and pressed it against a lump protruding from her stomach, which made the baby kick. "How's our favorite little man doing today? Is that his butt or his head that I'm touching?" She shrugged her shoulders, grinning.

"_He's_ doing wonderfully today, unlike his mother. He kept me up most of the night, and he refused to let me go back to sleep this morning after you got up, because he was doing somersaults or a line dance or something." She said, laying her hand over top of his. "How is his daddy doing? Are you bummed that we're not having a girl?" She asked him.

"No, I'm not bummed out. I'm excited for our son." He responded, looking into her eyes to show her how serious he was. He wasn't lying about being bummed about having a son. Sure, he was bummed about not being able to use the name Abigail because of its meaning, but that didn't mean he was any less excited about their baby.

"You can always use the name Abigail if you have a girl later." He tried to keep his sadness at bay. He knew that she meant the next child he would have would be with someone else, but he wanted it to be with her.

"It's not going to be the same, Becs. I wouldn't give her a leftover name." She furrowed her brow, obviously confused. "It's not the same, because this is my first child. No parent ever admits to this, but the first child is always scarier and more exciting than any other child they have, because they have no idea what to expect when they actually have it. It's why every first-time parent is all over their first child, but by the time they have a third or a fourth, they are like, 'oh, my kid's eating a cigarette butt? Whatever.'"

"I highly doubt that any parent says that whatever towards their child eating a cigarette butt."

"Dude, that's a _What to Expect When You're Expecting _reference. _We just watched that movie last night!_" She rolled her eyes. "We're watching it again." She laughed, leaning her forehead against his bare chest. He didn't let on, but he knew that she liked to breathe in his smell. Ever since he found out she was pregnant, he noticed how she was constantly burying her face into his neck or his chest or even his hair, breathing deeply. Apparently, their son made her really like how he smelled. He thought it was cute, especially because she tried to pretend like she wasn't doing it and to keep the fact it hidden from him. If he was going to be honest, he loved the way that she smelled, too. It was sweet and slightly floral, even when she didn't wear scented lotions or perfumes. It was something that was inherently _her_. It was just one of the many things that he found he really loved about her. "What I was trying to say was that even if I was going to have a daughter later, I don't think I could use the name Abigail, because the feelings I have about this first pregnancy are way stronger than I will probably have later."

"That is a terrible thing to say. You're supposed to pretend you don't have a favorite."

"I'm not saying I'm going to love my kids any differently. I'm saying that I'm going to be the most excited and terrified with this kid, because he is my first, so the exalted father meaning of Abigail isn't going to apply as much as it would now, with this baby, if he were a girl. But, he's not, so goodbye Abby. We really need to decide on which combination of Alexander, Gabriel, and David we like the best."

"You're disappointed." She said, frowning. He shook his head, smoothing the crease between her eyes with his thumb.

"I'm not disappointed. I'm excited to have a son. I can teach him all about music and movies and sports. I can teach him how to flirt with girls and get a really hot girlfriend like his mom. Or, if he's gay, I guess I could teach him how to flirt with guys…I haven't had any practice with that, so it might not work out well." Jesse grinned when Beca laughed and shook her head in amusement at him.

"You're an idiot." She bit her lip. "You're a cute idiot."

"Why thank you! I finally got you to admit that I'm cute and that you like me."

"Of course I like you. You're my best friend, you dumb ass." He just grinned at her. She was studying his face. "I hope he looks like you." She said after a few moments. His smile turned soft, giving her a gentle kiss to show her how much that meant to him. "Your hair, your eyes, your jaw." She brushed her fingers lightly along the parts of him as she ticked them off.

"No, I hope he looks like you," he whispered. "Your blue eyes." He kissed her eyelids. "Your nose." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Your smile." He whispered before he kissed her lips. She set her hands onto the sides of his neck, pressing herself more firmly against the kiss.

It was moments like this that he fell a little more in love with her, and he thought about how real this could be between them. He wanted this to be real. He wanted her to know that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, that he didn't want to get divorced. He wasn't lying when he said that he wanted their son to look like her. If they didn't stay together, then this little boy would be his only remaining tie to her after the divorce. He didn't want to think about how different their lives would have been had she never gotten pregnant; he didn't know if they would have been as close as they were now. He probably wouldn't have realized just how much he loved her until it was too late, until she was already gone. The baby allowed them the excuse to act on their attraction to one another; the baby forced them to be more civil with each other, to work things out, because they had someone else to worry about. Their fights before the baby, even though they were best friends, lasted days with neither one of them talking. He hated seeing her with Cole, and he knows now it was because he was falling for her, _fast_. He didn't know if their friendship would have survived the two years and the divorce had they never gotten pregnant, but she did get pregnant, so now they _had_ to stay friends after the divorce. The number one good thing about their son's existence was that he meant that she _had_ to be in his life for the rest of their son's life; she couldn't break ties with him, run away from him, like she did with everyone else. He opened his mouth to say something, but she spoke first, surprising him.

"Alexander Gabriel." Beca said. Jesse raised his eyebrows. She decided on Alexander Gabriel for their son's name? He loved that combination (since Gabriel Alexander was a definite no with the initials being G.A.S.) He liked that his son was going to have a tough, bad-ass name. He was surprised that she chose Alexander over David, though, because she said she liked that name better when they were narrowing the names down.

"Alexander Gabriel?" He asked to make sure that is what she really wanted. She nodded her head. He grinned, grabbing her face by her cheeks and pressing an excited kiss to her lips. After a few moments, he pulled away and dropped to his knees to talk to her stomach. "Hi, little man. You're name is Alexander Gabriel. Daddy's middle name is Gabriel, too, which makes you pretty cool, just like him."

"Ha! Don't lie to the kid." She scoffed, earning a playful glare from him.

"Don't listen to your Mommy. She's just jealous that she's not as cool as Daddy. Although, she loves when Daddy does this cool thing with his tongue—"

"STOP! You know the baby can hear now, right?" She said, smacking the back of his head.

"Yeah, well, with the potty mouth you have, the kid's gonna be born screaming the word fuck." She smacked the back of his head again.

"We will both try to refrain from cursing. For the baby. For Alexander. Okay?"

"But that is your favorite word to say when I do the thing with my tongue." She tried to glare at him, but she couldn't, and soon she was laughing.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't." He winked as he pressed a light kiss to her stomach. "Anyways, Alex…shit, Becs, that's our _son_ in there. Little Alex. Or Xander? Or Andy? Andy might get confused with Andrew. Al? Al is more for Allen…and it's stupid."

"You're an idiot. I like Alex. Alex Swanson."

"Uggh. I wish that my last name didn't start with an 'S,' because then we could have a little Gabe running around."

"I only said Alexander Gabriel, because you liked that they were both 'bad-ass' names. I honestly prefer David. If you want to call him Gabe, we could name him Gabriel David."

"Why did you pick Alexander if you like David better then?" He stared at her, his brow furrowed.

"I wanted you to be happy. You didn't get Abigail, so I thought I would give you Alexander. I like the name just fine, so it doesn't matter much to me." Hearing Beca's reason stabbed Jesse through the heart. She was letting him have his choice over boy names because she knew how much he wanted to name the baby Abigail if he was a girl. _She was giving up what she wanted to make him happy_. That was something that people did when they _loved_ someone else, or at the very least really _liked_ them. He stood up, staring at her, trying to determine if she cared about him more than she let on, as more than her best friend. She squirmed in discomfort by the way that he was looking at her, which made him want to laugh, but he was too determined to figure out her feelings to actually do it. "God, you're being such a creepy weirdo right now. Stop staring at me like that." She pushed at his chest, trying to get him to stop looking at her in that way.

"Beca," he started, but he stopped himself. He started to chew on his bottom lip, with his brow furrowed. She apparently didn't like that he was unsure of himself, because she frowned, rubbing at the crease between his eyes with her thumb and speaking softly to him.

"Hey, what's with the sour puss? Are you mad at me?"

"No," he whispered. How could he be mad at her for giving up the name she wanted in order to make him happy? She gave him a relieved smile, slapping his cheek lightly with her hand.

"You had me worried, nerd. What's with this quiet thing you got going on?"

"I'm amazed. I'm grateful." He shrugged. "You're letting me name our baby Alexander. You're amazing, you know that?" He kissed her again, putting as much emotion (_love_) as he could into it, letting her know just how it made him feel that she would do that for him. She seemed to kiss him back just as forcefully, and she laughed into his lips when the baby started kicking like crazy between them. Her phone began ringing in the purse that she had set down on the floor beside her.

"That's probably Chloe telling me that she's outside." He sighed in relief, because she wasn't going to be driving that day.

"I'm glad you're not driving." She rolled her eyes at him. "Enjoy your afternoon with the girls. Have fun, Alex." He said, rubbing her stomach. He gave her a final kiss, watching her as she walked down the hallway and made her way slowly down the steps. The second he heard the door open and close, he went back to where he left his cell phone in the middle of the room. He grabbed it, scrolling through his contacts to send out a text to Bumper, Hat, and Brian that Beca had just left for lunch with the girls. They were coming over to help him finish the nursery so that it was completely finished by the time she arrived home later that afternoon.

* * *

_Saturday, October 26__th__, 2013 – 1:12 PM_

Beca, Chloe, Jessica, and Amy all sipped orange juice as they finished the last remaining bites of their lunch. Beca had tried to tell them that it was fine if they wanted to drink, but they all chose to refrain since she couldn't. It was nice of them, but they didn't have to stop living their normal lives on her account. Chloe tipped the glass back, swallowing the last of her juice, before she grinned around the table. "So, are we going shopping first or mani-pedis and facials first?" She asked, her gaze settling on Beca. The brunette stifled a yawn behind her hand before flashing the redhead a smile.

"Can we do shopping first? I feel like an old lady today, because this little guy kept me up most of the night doing a conga-line on my bladder. I'm probably going to pass out in a few hours, and I really need to get a birthday present for Jesse before I do." Beca said, yawning again.

"That's not very nice, little boy. You've got to let Mommy sleep!" Jessica gently scolded Beca's stomach, rubbing her hand over the swell. "Have you guys picked a name yet?"

"Yeah," Beca smiled and rubbed at her stomach. "We're gonna name him Alexander Gabriel, Alex for short."

"Oh, my God! Alex! So cute!" Chloe squealed, earning the four of them glares and concerned looks from the other patrons of the restaurant. She jumped up and crouched beside Beca's chair, pushing Jessica and Beca's hands out of the way and proceeded to lay her head onto Beca's stomach, while her hand stroked the rest of her bump. "Hi, Alex. I'm your Aunt Chloe. When you're born, I'm going to steal you away from your parents and take you to Timbuktu so that I can raise you as my own. You're going to wonder why you're not a ginger like me, but that's something you can easily get via a bottle."

"You're never allowed near my kid without me or Jesse present." Beca warned, pinching the back of Chloe's neck, making the redhead jerk her head away from Beca's stomach. The hand that had been stroking Beca's rounded stomach moments before was now gripping the back of her neck as she pouted and moaned about how much of a bitch Beca was for pinching her.

"Do you know what you're going to get Jesse?" Jessica asked, and Beca responded with a shake of the head.

"Um, hi, you're giving him the gift of life in the form of an infant in your stomach. I think that's more than enough." Amy told her as she popped the remaining bite of her burger into her mouth. Beca just stared at her.

"No, I can't say to him, 'happy twenty-ninth birthday, Jesse. I didn't get you anything because I'm going to give birth to your child in a couple of months. I hope you have a swell day.'"

"Why not?"

"You should totally give him a gift for the both of you?" Chloe told her, as she ate a fry.

"What gift can I give him that would be for both of us?"

"An STD?" Amy suggested with a wink. "Herpes is the gift that keeps on giving." Beca, Jessica, and Chloe all ignored the Australian blond woman.

"You guys should get away. Take a small vacation. It will be your last one before the little guy comes." Chloe suggested, reaching from her seat, to which she had returned following the pinch, rubbing Beca's stomach. "You're getting so big."

"Thank you?" Beca said sarcastically. "You don't want to tell a pregnant woman you think she's fat."

"No, I don't think you're fat at all, Beca. I'm just saying, that your stomach gets bigger each time I see you."

"Well, generally, that is what happens when you're pregnant. Your stomach grows." Beca rolled her eyes. "I didn't change that much since we had lunch on Wednesday."

"Beca, she's not trying to upset you, but I haven't seen you in three weeks, and your stomach looks so much bigger. It's a good thing. It means the baby is growing. You still look amazing." Jessica said warmly to her, shooting Chloe a glare. Beca frowned, looking down at her stomach. Was she really that big? She didn't think she was that big. Over the last (nearly) four weeks, she had gained about six pounds. That wasn't a lot right? She had gained only about twenty-one pounds over the course of her pregnancy. That really wasn't too bad. She swallowed. She and Jesse had the next prenatal appointment on the day of his birthday. They both planned on taking that day off, so they decided to push the next appointment to the following week so that it was on his birthday. She would just ask him then if she is gaining too much weight. Then, she was ease up on portion sizes or eat healthier foods in order to slow the weight gain if it was too much. It would be fine. "But, Chloe's right. Babymoons are so in now. You should totally get away for a babymoon. You're already six months along. You should schedule it soon."

"We have the next appointment on Jesse's birthday; I'm getting the glucose test done then. Then, I don't have another appointment again until another two weeks." Beca said. Should they go on a babymoon? Didn't they already sort of do that with the destination wedding at Niagara Falls and then the honeymoon in Quebec City? She was already pregnant at that point. Did they really need to go on a second vacation? "I don't think I want to go away."

"Go away for a weekend!" Chloe suggested. "Take off on a Monday or a Friday, and then go for three days. Stay at a hotel that offers maternity spa packages. Eat, enjoy each other's company, have sex, get a prenatal massage."

"We could do that here. I don't need to travel to do that. There are places here in LA where I can prenatal massages. I have a husband who showers me with foot, neck, and back rubs all of the time. Plus, he is like my own personal chef. When he isn't forcing me to watch bullshit movies, I actually enjoy hanging out with him. As for the sex…I think we're good."

"Oh, speaking of the sex. How's that going? Did you figure out if it is the sperm thing?" Amy asked, balancing her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands as she looked closely at Beca.

"God, this pregnancy has turned me into such a prude," Beca muttered, blushing. "We tried the pull out method…but…yeah…that didn't exactly work, because Jesse was like fifteen year old boy have sex for the first time and he didn't have a condom; he didn't stop himself until he was about…_done_." She squirmed in the chair slightly. "Let's just say, he started to have an orgasm and quickly tried to pull out, and it resulted in like a huge mess, and I freaked out. I took a bath and made him change the sheets and do laundry, because it was totally gross." She chuckled, running a hand over her face. "Anyways, we're using condoms now; it's really weird to have sex with them now." Amy scoffed quietly to herself, and Beca shot her a look that said she needed to shut up, because she knew that scoff meant that the reason why it was weird for Beca and Jesse to use condoms was because they _never used them together before_. "I'm just glad that it was just the sperm thing, so we can still have sex."

"It shouldn't be all that strange to go back to condoms after not using them for a couple of months during your pregnancy." Amy said with a raised eyebrow, making Beca narrow her eyes at her.

"Yeah, how did you get pregnant? You're always told me about how careful you were with using condoms and always using your diaphragm. Unless, you guys stopped using condoms and just used the diaphragm. You told me that you would never do that." Chloe said, smiling at the flustered waiter who dropped off the check at the table.

"They got drunk." Amy answered for Beca, who was mortified that a stranger knew what Beca normally did to prevent pregnancy and STDs. She shot Amy another glare. "The day after Jesse proposed."

"You were drunk? Why'd you get drunk?" Chloe asked, concerned.

"I was embarrassed that Jesse serenaded me and proposed. We got into a big fight after everyone left. He went and got drunk at _Tasmania_, which is the only reason why Amy knows all of this." Beca said through a clenched jaw.

"Why did you get into a fight!? That was so cute of him!"

"Because we weren't together for all that long!" Beca said, grasping at straws for an excuse, because she couldn't exactly tell Chloe the truth.

"You were together for a year, silly! A lot of couples get engaged after a year."

"We just moved in together, and then the douche had to go and ruin it by proposing." Beca crossed her arms, not daring to look at any of them.

"You could have had a longer engagement. You're the ones who decided to get married within a month of getting engaged." Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

"Do you really think that Beca and Jesse would have lasted a longer engagement?" Amy said, trying to help Beca out. She wasn't off the hook, but Beca was appreciative none the less.

"Yeah, I would have freaked out and bailed, just like I freaked out after the party was over and the realization that I was engaged set in." She ran her hands over her stomach. "Are we done? How much do I owe?"

"Nothing. We're buying you lunch." Chloe said, and Beca nodded her head.

"So, Jesse's present. You don't want to do the babymoon thing…" Jessica said, changing the subject, and Beca looked at her gratefully. "What about a nice watch?"

"He just bought himself one." Beca rolled her eyes. "He doesn't really need anything. All he does is annoy the shit out of me, compose on his guitar or keyboard, and watch movies." She shrugged her shoulders. "I've literally threatened to throw that old keyboard down the steps almost daily when his crowding gets to be too much."

"Yeah, Dean said that he's had that thing since college." Chloe said, rolling her eyes. "I'm surprised it still works."

"He takes very good care of it. It's his baby. Well, soon, he'll have a real baby." Beca said, running her hand over her stomach.

"Why don't you get him a new one? Or, rather a _real piano_?" Jessica suggested, and Beca smiled.

"I could get a small piano for our living room. We have the room for it. Plus, we both play it. This kid will be playing music since birth, so it would be nice to have a real piano for him to learn on."

"Aww! I can see a little boy with dark hair and your nose sitting on Jesse's lap banging on the piano keys! Stop! That's so cute." Chloe squealed. Beca tried to keep the grin off her face as she pictured the same thing. It was weird, because she was actually turned on by the idea of Jesse being a _dad_ to their kid, so now she wanted nothing more than to go home and ravish him. She blushed, scratching the back of her head. "Oh, I know that look! Beca's horny."

"Chlo! Shut up." Beca pouted. Chloe pulled out her phone and began typing into it.

"I found this guy who sells pianos. His shop is nearby. Let's head there now. We can pick out the piano and then you can get it delivered on Jesse's birthday while you guys are at the appointment."

"Yeah, I will chill at your house in the morning while it's being delivered. That's the beauty of owning your own business. You can go in when you want." Amy said, grinning.

"Alright. Let's go buy the nerd a piano." Beca said, standing up.

"I know you want to get home to your fella, but we're doing mani-pedis and facials afterwards!" Chloe said, pointing at Beca, who rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She agreed.

* * *

_Saturday, October 26, 2013 - 6:02 PM_

The guys had arrived within ten minutes of Beca leaving for lunch with Chloe. Between the four of them, they were able to finish painting all of the walls a light mauve shade. While the paint was drying, Jesse put in a load of wash that was filled with every soft, cloth baby item (bedding, blankets, stuffed animals, clothing, cloth diapers, et cetera) that he and Beca had. He then made the four of them lunch. After switching the items over to dryer on the gentle, no heat, extended tumble cycle, they watched a bunch of mindless television until it was finished. When everything was dry, he went to check the paint, finding that the walls were dry. The four men proceeded to set up the furniture in the room. The crib was tucked into one corner with a bunny mobile attached to it. A shelving unit was placed beside the crib and then a small dresser beside that. On the other side of the room, a large bookcase was set up, along with the changing table. In the corner opposite the crib, Jesse, with the help of Brian and Bumper, slid a white overstuffed chair with its matching ottoman so that it was facing diagonally into the room. Hat returned into the room with the laundry basket of folded baby items under one arm and his cell phone in his hand. "The girls are headed this way. They should be here in about twenty minutes." He told them as Jesse took the laundry basket from his hands. The four of them began setting up the décor around the room—putting the bedding in the cribs, setting up toys, putting away blankets, et cetera. The last item that was placed in the room was a butterfly mobile made with different colored butterflies that Jesse hung from the ceiling in the center of the room.

The four men stood back to take in the finished (sort of) product of the nursery. Jesse grinned to himself, because it was perfect. The front door flew open, and the four men heard the sounds of their wives talking as they entered the house. "Jesse? We saw the guys' cars. Are you all upstairs?" She sounded confused, and he heard her start to make her way up the steps. She was probably confused about why they would be upstairs. The guys slipped out of the nursery, and Jesse quickly shut the door behind him. "What are you guys doing in there? Did you finish paining?" She asked him, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, the guys helped me finish. Why don't we all go downstairs? I will show you everything once it's all finished airing out." He said, trying to shoo her down the steps, but she refused to move. He didn't want to show her the finished product until they were alone. He wanted it to be a moment that was shared just between the two of them; he wanted it to be special.

"No, I wanna see it now." She said, trying to push past him. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her flush against the front of him. "Jesse," she whined, pouting. "Please? If you're a good boy, I'll _reward_ you." The guys chuckled as they made their way down the steps to their own wives.

"Now, I'd love to take you up on that offer, but it would be rude to push the guys out the door after they spent the afternoon helping me finish up the nursery. I will show you everything later. Why don't you come downstairs with us, and you girls can tell us all about your lunch."

"We talked about how I got pregnant, how Chloe thinks I'm fat, what I was going to get you for your birthday, and then we got facials and mani-pedis after I went to buy your present. There, now you know everything. Let me see the nursery."

"You talked about how you got pregnant?" He said, his eyebrows rising in shock.

"Well, not exactly." She whispered. "I told Chloe and Jessica that I freaked out about getting engaged, so we got in a big fight and then we both got drunk and had unprotected sex. I didn't tell them that our relationship was a fake when you knocked me up." She said, waving her hand between the two of them. His heart started pounding in his chest. She said _was_; does that mean she wanted it to be real now?

"Hey, guys! We're all gonna head out. You have a great night!" Chloe called up the stairs, and they glanced down them to see that everyone had gathered their stuff and were waving goodbye as they made their ways out the door. Beca and Jesse called out their goodbyes just before the door shut.

"They're gone now. Show me that nursery." She pushed past him and headed to the nursery. He caught up to her, stopping her before she opened the door.

"You really need to learn patience."

"Nah, I'd rather not." She said, elbowing him. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Close your eyes." He slipped a hand over her eyes, reaching out to turn the doorknob. When the door started to click open, he put the other hand over her eyes, making sure that she couldn't see at all. Kicking the door open slightly, he walked her into the room. "Ready?"

"Just let me see the goddamn nursery, Jesse." She groaned. He laughed, releasing her eyes.

"Oh," she said, pressing one hand against her stomach and the other over her mouth. "This is perfect," she said, the sound muffled by her hand. She began wiping at her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a light kiss to her neck. She leaned her body back against his chest. "This is so beautiful." She said, turning in his arms to wrap her arms around his neck. He grinned against her hair, kissing her head a few times. "I love it so much. It's wonderful. Thank you, Jesse." She pulled away from him enough to stand on her toes and press a series of kisses to his lips and cheeks.

"I'm glad that you like it." He laughed, tucking some of her hair behind her ears. "I wanted it to be perfect for you."

"It is perfect!" She grinned, pulling away from him to walk around the room and inspect everything. She sat on the chair, leaning back against it and putting her feet up on the ottoman. She ran her fingers over the blankets and toys and little pieces of clothing on the shelving units. She stood in the center of the room, staring up at the butterfly mobile with a huge smile over her face. She turned the mobile on, listening to the soft music and watched as the bunnies on it rotated over the crib where their baby would sleep as soon as he was big enough and Beca felt comfortable with him not sleeping in the bassinet beside her side of the bed. She clutched the stuffed rabbit that he had picked out a little over a month before when he first found out about the baby. "This is your room, Alex. This is your bunny." She whispered, stroking her fingers over the ears of the rabbit. She returned it to the crib and turned to face him, tears pouring down her cheeks. "He's kicking." She said, reaching out to him.

Jesse crossed the room, sliding his hand beneath Beca's shirt to rest it on her abdomen, feeling the movement of their baby beneath her skin. He grinned, looking up to see her staring at their hands in wonder. "We made him." She whispered after a few moments. "It's so weird to think that there is a small person growing inside of me. We made him, Jesse. He's ours, and he's going to be perfect." He smiled at her, because he understood exactly what she meant. He loved this baby, and he loved Beca. He loved their family. He physically ached with the need to tell her. He wanted to tell her. He was so scared of what her reaction was going to be.

"Becs," he began, but he hesitated. He licked his bottom lip, interlacing their hands at their sides. "I…"

"Yeah?" She said after a few moments, giving him a small smile, when he didn't finish his sentence. "What's wrong?" He shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong." He was chickening out. "I'm just really happy we're having him. I'm really happy that we're a family." She grinned at him.

"You know how you've told me like a thousand times that you're so grateful that I'm having him? Well, I never said thank you to you. I know that he wasn't planned, but I'm so glad that we're having him." She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for getting drunk and forgetting to put on a condom before putting the moves on me." She joked. He rolled his eyes at her. "But more than that, thank you for being my best friend." She started dragging him in the direction of the door by his hands.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I'm going to give you a proper thank you, but I can't do _that_ in my son's nursery, so we're going to our room." Jesse's heart started pounding, because she referred to her bedroom as _their_ room. He was going to gain the courage to tell her the truth one day—_soon_.

* * *

_Monday, November 4__th__, 2013 – 7:00 AM _

Beca woke up early to the sound of her phone buzzing from where she had tucked it beneath her pillow. She turned off the alarm and carefully slid out from beneath Jesse's arm, which was wrapped tightly around her waist, with his hand splayed across her stomach. She pulled on a robe over her pajamas, which was one of his t-shirts over a pair of his boxers. They had the appointment at ten, but she wanted to make him breakfast in bed, so she was getting up an hour before they had set their alarm to get up. She wrapped her robe around her body and snuck downstairs after brushing her teeth and peeing in the bathroom. She gathered all of the necessary breakfast materials to make apple cinnamon pancakes, Jesse's favorite breakfast food, coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon (he was such a bad Jew), fruit, and orange juice. When the food was finished, she set up the tray with two plates of pancakes with eggs and bacon, a cereal bowl filled with sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and grapes, two classes of orange juice, one mug of coffee prepared the way he liked it, utensils, and napkins. Just as she was about to pick up the tray, she jumped when she felt two arms wrap around her waist. "Good morning. What's all this?" Jesse's breath tickled her ear.

"I was trying to bring you breakfast in bed. Happy birthday." She told him, turning around in his arms to press a kiss to his lips. He grinned down at her.

"You made me breakfast? Thank you." He kissed her gently. "Although, I don't like the idea of you bringing this up the steps for me."

"I'm six months pregnant, not crippled." She muttered, glaring at him slightly.

"Yes, I know, I'm such a caveman, but I can't help it." He kissed her again before dropping to his knees. He pulled the shirt up, exposing her rounded stomach to him. "Hello, Alex. How did you sleep?" He pressed a kiss against her stomach.

"He didn't sleep much. I'm so tired and uncomfortable." Beca whined slightly. Jesse laughed, standing up. He grabbed the tray.

"I will carry this upstairs, and we can have breakfast in bed, okay?" She nodded her head, and the two of them (she smiled to herself at that thought; in a few more weeks, there would be three of them) headed up the steps. They settled onto the bed, the tray between them. "So, what did you get me for a present?"

She chuckled, stabbing some fruit with her fork and popping it into her mouth. "I'm not telling you. You have to wait until after the appointment to find out." She told him when she finished chewing.

"That's no fair. Can you give me a hint?" She shook her head.

"Eat your breakfast. We both need to shower, and you know how long it takes me to get ready now." He pouted, but she refused to budge on telling him anything about his present.

One and a half hours later, Beca had given her urine sample, had her blood pressure measured, had the fundal height measured, been questioned about the baby's movements, and had her weight measured. "Wow…you've gained seven and a half pounds in the last five weeks. " Brian said with surprise.

"Is that a lot?" She had been concerned about her weight gain ever since the girls had mentioned it to her at the lunch.

"Between your fundal growth and your weight gain, I'd say you're having a really big baby." Brian joked.

"Oh, that's gonna be fun for my lady bits."

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you that my mom said that I was a really big baby with a big head." Jesse said, grimacing. She glared at him.

"I hate you. Our kid is going to have a huge head because of you, and my vagina is going to be torn apart." Jesse and Brian chuckled.

"Let's check out Alex's heartbeat." Brian set up the machine to record the baby's heartbeat through her stomach. The fast thwaping noise filled the room, and Beca and Jesse grinned as they listened to the sound of their son's heartbeat. "Huh…that's strange."

"What is?" Beca said, turning to stare at Brian. When a doctor says 'huh, that's strange' in relation to your baby, you freak out, and she was two seconds away from _freaking out_. "Is something wrong with Alex?"

"No, I don't think there's anything wrong. I just want to check out something on the ultrasound." He pulled the machine over, squirting the jelly onto her stomach and began to move the Doppler around on the lower part of her abdomen. Beca and Jesse glanced at the screen as the blob that is there baby came up. "Oh, my." Brian said, his eyes widening. She turned to stare at him in alarm.

"Dude, you're freaking us out. What's up?" Jesse asked, gripping her hand in his. She nodded her head, too nervous to speak.

"So, I thought Alex's heartbeat sounded strange, like there was an echo, but…uh…his heartbeat is fine. See," he pointed to a flickering spot on the screen. He then shifted the Doppler to another part of Beca's stomach. "But, see this here?" He pointed to another flickering spot on the screen.

"Yeah?" Jesse prompted him.

"It appears that the weight gain and the large fundal growth are because there are two babies."

"What?" Jesse and Beca said at the same time, staring at Brian in shock. She literally felt like her heart was stopping, because _what the fuck_?

"Yeah, you're having twins." Brian said, grinning.

"You've got to be kidding me." Beca said, staring at the monitor. "_You have got to be fucking kidding_."

"Beca," Jesse said, squeezing her hand and brushing a stray lock of hair behind her head. "It's okay, really. This is _good news_."

"Shut the fuck up, Jesse. I need a minute to fucking process this." She snapped at him, yanking her hand from his. She buried her face into her hands, groaning slightly. "_You've got to be fucking kidding me._"

"I'm gonna step out, and let you two have a minute." Brian said, inching his way towards the exam room door.

"Freeze!" Beca pulled her hands from her face and pointed at the doctor. "You're not off the hook, either, mister. What the fuck? How did you miss that?" She said, pointing to the monitor. "How do you miss a second baby?!"

"Look, this is extremely rare. It hardly ever happens. Usually, you can tell that twins are coming as early as six to eight weeks. However, it appears that the one of the babies was lying directly in front of the other baby during the exams, matching their heartbeats up. Like I said, the likelihood of this happening is really rare, because the babies have to be perfectly aligned for me to not be able to pick up on a second heartbeat. It is easier to miss it on the ultrasound, though, because it is probably the bigger twin in front of the smaller twin, so I wouldn't see the small one. I'm just shocked that I didn't find a second heartbeat—until today."

"I'm having two babies. I'm gaining ridiculous amounts of weight because I'm having _two_ babies?" She said, staring at the monitor. "Holy shit."

"Becs, this is amazing. We're having two babies! This probably explains why we felt them moving from the outside so early, because one is closer to the surface than the other. And, why it felt like there was an entire marching band going through your stomach whenever the baby kicked—because there were two babies kicking!" Jesse leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. She just continued to stare at the monitor…at her _babies_. "Can you tell what the other baby is?" He asked Brian, who adjusted the Doppler slightly.

"Well, this one is a tiny bit smaller and still tucked slightly behind Alex, but I will see if I can find out if it is a boy or a girl for you." After sliding the Doppler wand around a bit, he finally found an angle that gave him a shot between the baby's legs. "Ahh, there it is…" Brian said, grinning. "Or, rather, there it _isn't_." Jesse looked up at him in shock.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"It looks like you're having a boy _and a girl_." Brian said, slapping Jesse on the back. "Congratulations, guys."

"Becs, we're having a girl! I knew that she was kicking about the name Abigail!" Jesse said, grabbing Beca by the cheeks and kissing her forcefully. He broke the kiss, and she took a deep breath. They were having two babies. They were having a boy and a girl. She was in shock. She didn't know what to make of this. They had to go out and buy a second crib. They had to buy more toys and more diapers and more bedding and more clothing. They had to buy _two of everything_. Why? _Because they were having two babies_. She returned her gaze to the screen to study her babies. She was having twins.

"How is it that I'm having twins? There is no history of twins in my family or in Jesse's? If they were identical, I could understand, like the cell divided in half too much and now we have two babies, but how do I get one of each?" She finally asked.

"Sometimes a second egg is released from the ovary; this could have been a onetime fluke, or it could run in your family that two eggs are released every month, but one of them wasn't fertilized or if it was fertilized and the body rejected it, the embryo was reabsorbed into your uterine lining."

"So, I could have been a twin, but my mom's uterus ate it?" Jesse snorted, earning a glare and an elbow to the gut from Beca.

"Sorry," he muttered, clutching his stomach and trying to hold back his laughter. "Your mom's enough of a bitch that I could totally see her womb eating your twin."

"Jesse, shut the fuck up!" She snapped. "Sorry," she said instantly, her eyes tearing up. "I'm being such a bitch. I'm upset and scared and in shock and a mess." She moaned, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Beca, it's okay." He leaned over, wiping at her cheeks to press a light kiss to her forehead, the tip of her nose, and then on her lips. "This is a great thing. We're having two babies. We're so lucky to have two little babies. Little Alex and Little Abby. This is amazing. I love you." His eyes widened in, and she stared at him in shock. His eyes shut, and he released a quick breath. This was the second time he's said that he loved her, the first time during his wedding vows. She glanced over his showered to see that Brian was beaming at them. Right, he was just acting in front of Brian. He didn't actually mean it. Her heart finally started beating again, and she put a fake smile on her face.

"Yeah, me, too. I can't believe we're having twins!" She said quickly, playing the role of an excited wife having two babies with her husband (well, she was excited about the babies, that wasn't a lie). His eyes slipped open, and he studied her for a moment before nodding his head. She didn't realize how much meant those words until she said them. She did love him; he was her best friend. Of course she loved him, just like she loved Chloe and Amy, who were her best girlfriends. Those two and Jesse (and now her babies) were the most important people in her lives; she loved the three of them way more than she loved the rest of their friends (_family_). "By the way, we're not naming her Abigail Mae!" Beca said, pointing her finger at him. He swallowed, giving her a tense smile. He was still obviously feeling weird about saying that he loved her in front of Brian; he said it before, so why is he freaking out so much. It wasn't like it was a real declaration of love. "I gave you Alexander Gabriel, so you can give me Abigail Rose."

"He doesn't have to be Alexander. You can name him Lucifer for all I care, but we're naming her Abigail Mae!"

"We aren't changing his name now! I've told everyone his name is Alex. I've told him he's Alex. I'm not going to start calling him David or Gabriel or whatever just because you want to name his sister something completely ridiculous and inappropriate! His name is Alex, and her name is Abigail Rose."

"Please, Beca!?"

"Uggh!"

* * *

**Author's Note: Surprise! Haha! It's TWINS! Were you shocked? I hope so! Almost everyone who gave boy name suggestions liked Alexander Gabriel, so Baby Boy Swanson is officially Alexander Gabriel Swanson! For all the girl suggestions, last time I tallied the votes, it was evenly split between Rose and Mae, with two people who said they didn't care either way. If it continues to be evenly split, I'm going with the tiebreaker vote of Abby Rose via my mother. Haha! I have a poll up on my profile, so go vote for either Abby Rose or Abby Mae. **

**Also, JESSE TOLD BECA HE LOVED HER! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Too bad she passed it off as though he was just pretending in front of Brian! Also, she realized that she loved him, too…**_**as a FRIEND**_**. Oh, well! That is one step closer to being **_**IN LOVE**_**, right? **

**Let me know what you think of this chapter! Did you enjoy my cliffhanger ending from the last chapter? Was it worth it for the fun, surprising ending of this chapter? **

**This is the finalized version of the nursery (remember to remove all spaces and periods):**

** 4 . bp. blogspot / _ jAPiJMw1h68 /TJ8qzgcMINI ********/ **AAAAAAAAAyw ******/ **r0ydoWeQsyo ******/ **s1600 ******/** via+photobucket+twins+2littleangels . jpg 

**Please use your imagination for the following:**

**1. Light purple walls.**

**2. Dark wood floors.**

**3. The bedding in both of the cribs is light purple.**

**4. The pillows on the chair are light purple with white embroidery that read: AGS and ARS/AMS (the babies' initials).**

**5. The rug is light purple.**

**6. The pattern on the two blankets hanging from the cribs is white, light purple, and dark purple.**

**7. Butterfly mobile hanging from the ceiling looks like this: **

**media - cache - ak1 . pinimg 550x / 57 / ac / 27 / 57ac272f35a2876b23f0386f759f6d65 . jpg**

**8. There are two mobiles attached to the cribs that look like this: **

**www . theparsleypot images / _ lib / jellycat – bashful – bunny – musical – mobile – 3005238 – 0 - 1280418785000 . jpg**

**9. All other items in the bedroom that are brownish in color is replaced with varying shades of purple, like sheets and such.**

**10. The chair has an ottoman.**

**REVIEW, people!**


	18. Chapter 18

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 18**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: So, week one of my break between the semesters is over. Two weeks to go. This story is coming to a close. One final thing before I go: don't make fun of the cheesy toy names I use in this chapter. That is literally what I named all of my toys as a kid. I don't know why. They're random, made up names. Oh, children are so weird...haha! (Another small thing is that, unlike Beca, I loved **_**Heart of Darkness**_** - great book!) There's some good lovin' at the end. Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

Beca didn't know what to say to Jesse at first as they walked out of Brian's office following the appointment. It was a shock to hear him say that he loved her. Then, it was an even bigger shock for her to realize that she loved him back. But, why was that a shock, though? He was her _best friend_. She loved Amy. She loved Chloe. She loved Aubrey. She loved all of the girls. Hell, she loved Dean. Maybe even Bumper! (Um, wait, never mind. She might puke now.) It was weird, though, to hear him say those three words, because the only other time he ever said them was the day of the wedding. Sure, they've talked about how much they care about each other, but they never came out and said that they loved each other. So, really, she was freaking out over nothing. They were best friends, and they loved each other as best friends do. There was nothing more to it than that. It was no biggie. She grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed it, trying to indicate that things were good between them. Because, they totally were. It's no big deal that he said those three _silly_ words-words that typically either made a person's heart swell from happiness or explode from discomfort. She wasn't sure what her heart was doing at that moment (maybe a little bit of both?), but all she knew was that she needed was for him to _not shut down on her_. They were best friends. They were cool. It was gonna be okay. _Right_?

"While we're out, would you like to go to the baby store and order the second crib and get the stuff we need for Abby?" She said, earning a light squeeze of her hand and barely a quiver of a head nod in response. She sighed. She didn't like this one bit. He was shutting her out, freaking out over nothing. She scrambled to think of something to say. She pulled him by the hand to the small bench outside of the office. She sat down and frowned when he sat some distance away from her. In the beginning of this marriage, she would have thought it was normal that he sat so far away from her, but at this point, they were best friends who regularly fucked each other. They've been all over each other for a long time now. This distance between them (both literally and figuratively) is not normal. Or, okay, for that matter. "I know that I was a bit of a bitch to you in there. I'm sorry for that. I was in shock after finding out about the second baby. I'm really sorry that I bit you're head off, and I hate that you're mad at me or whatever this is." She said, waving her hand between them. She sure that this wasn't the reason for why he was acting weird, but she was too chicken to just come out and bring up the very large elephant in the room...or the outside. _Oh, whatever_. "Forgive me?" She said, reaching out and laying a hand on his knee.

Jesse didn't look at her, but he finally gave Beca a response. It wasn't one that she was looking for, but it was a response, right? "There's nothing to forgive, Beca. It was a shock to see that we're having twins." Oh, what the fuck. He was still being really weird. She's not okay with this at all. She needed him to _stop_. She didn't know how to get it to stop. She decided to ease into talking about the big, fat elephant that was pressing down onto them, so she tried lightening the mood a little.

"Well, I'm not planning on changing my mind or anything, but I'm still curious as to how you're gonna try and change my mind on giving Abby the middle name of Mae." She bit her lip, a small smile on her face, but all she got in response was a fucking shrug of his shoulders. _He shrugged his fucking shoulders_! She narrowed her eyes and yanked her hand off of his knee so fast that he could have burned her. She crossed her arms and stared at him, watching him avoid her gaze, instead staring at his shoes like they were curing cancer or world fucking hunger. She didn't like him acting like this. Her hormones were out of control, and she simultaneously felt like punching him in the dick and bursting into tears. The only other time that he acted strange like this-like really strange-was the night that they told her parents that she was pregnant. He wouldn't kiss her at first, didn't look at her, and it sent her insecurities skyrocketing, making her a blubbering mess about not being attractive to him anymore. It really hurt her at the time to think that he was finally losing interest in her, considering how he was constantly telling her how attractive he thought she was as she progressed through her pregnancy. Then, he kissed her so hard and intensely that it took her breath away, telling her that she was still beautiful and amazing and all that shit. She didn't know what the hell was going on with him in that moment, but ever since that kiss, he had been even more insanely attentive to her than ever before. Now, he was acting like a fucking weirdo freak again. _She didn't fucking like it_.

"We need to get into the car. It looks like it might rain, and we need to get to the store and call everyone—" Beca reached up and put her hand over Jesse's mouth. When it was clear that he was done talking, she dropped her hand again.

"I'm not getting into that car with you until you tell me what's got you so freaked out right now. Is it that we're having twins? Because you seemed so excited when we first found out, but has it set in that we're having two babies now? I mean, I feel like we pulled a role reversal, because I'm super excited to be having twins." The corners of his mouth quivered, and he shook his head.

"I'm excited about having twins, too." He told her, rubbing his hands over her swollen stomach.

"Okay, so it's not the twin thing." She bit her bottom lip, studying his face. "Is it 'cause I refuse to name her Abigail Mae? I just don't think it's appropriate to name her that. It's weird and gross. Plus, it might give Alex some weird complex, because Abby has a part of her name that is a reference of something that means something to the two of us, but he won't. Sure, he has Gabriel in his name, but that isn't a reference to the two of us." She was rambling, but he wasn't saying anything, and it was totally freaking her out.

"No, it's not that. I get why you don't want to name her that. If you want her to be Abigail Rose, then that's what her name'll be. You're giving me Alexander Gabriel when you like David better, so I will give you Abigail Rose." His voice was low, and his eyes were darting around, not meeting hers at all. She didn't know how to bring up the third (and likely) reason for his weirdness. She took a deep breath.

"So, if it's not they Mae versus Rose thing, then that leaves one thing." She watched his eyes drift shut and his jaw tense. _Bingo_. "It's about the 'I love you' thing." She reached up to lay her hand on his cheek. "I'll admit that it took me by surprise, but Brian totally bought it, so there's nothing to be freaking out about. I think it was normal for me and you to start to say the l-word in front of our friends more, since we supposedly kept our relationship a secret from them for a year and that we've been married and are pregnant for only a few months…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "I actually think that we should start saying it more in front of our friends. It's gonna be weird that we never say that we love each other. Married people usually do love each other. I mean, Chloe says how much she loves Dean every five seconds when we're on the phone to each other, so if I don't start saying that I love you about something, she might suspect something's up."

Jesse's eyes finally slipped open and began to study her face. Beca braced herself for his response to all of that, but he didn't say anything. He just stared at her, his brow furrowed, his jaw tensed, and his entire body practically vibrating with _something_. His mouth opened and closed for a moment, but then he shook his head and looked away from her. She frowned, because it was obvious that something about it was still bothering him. "Hey, Jess…this whole thing between us…it's not normal. Even when we tried to control it—put rules on it—that didn't work. It went out the window. We have to just take it one day at a time, right? I need you to know one thing, though. You're my best friend. You're my whole world. You and the babies—the three of you are the most important part of my life. I want you to know that I do love you. It might not be love that most people think about between couples, but I do love you. When all of this is over, we will still have each other, right?" She held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

It was really hard for her to admit that she loved him like that, because she was afraid that he would misread it as something more. He obviously didn't feel the same way about her, because he was freaking out about saying it in front of Brian. Maybe he didn't see her as his best friend or his whole world, like she did. She_ hoped_ he felt the same way, that their family was the most important thing to him. He looked at her in shock, and she let out her breath, trying to remain calm and completely composed. He didn't need to know about her internal upheaval over admitting that. He studied her for a moment before he swallowed. She could barely hear him when he finally spoke. "Yeah...we'll still have each other when it's over."

The disappointment hit her like a ton of bricks. Like, she literally felt like someone had forced her against a wall and another wall was boxing her in, slamming into her over and over. It was kind of overwhelming for her in that moment. She gave him a tense and pinched smile, jumping up from the bench. As she walked in the direction of the parking lot, listening to him follow behind her, she thought about how that was exactly what she expected and wanted to hear from him, but actually hearing him say the words _hurt_ for some reason. She couldn't understand why. He rushed past her to open the passenger door to help her into the car, since it was getting more and more difficult to do things on her own as she progressed later and later into her pregnancy. She hated that more than anything. She hated been weak or vulnerable or dependent on him (both physically, and, apparently, _fucking emotionally_, because she was a mess over all this bullshit between them). The drive to the baby store was silent and still very much awkward.

While Jesse put in the order for the second crib, Beca wandered around the store with a cart, grabbing doubles of the bedding, blankets, cloth diapers, et cetera. He came up beside her as she was perusing some of those stuffed animals that were attached to little blankets, debating on what to buy the twins. He shoved a stuffed monkey under her nose. She grinned at the sight of it, dropping the little frog-blanket and cow-blanket toys she was holding into the cart. "This is perfect. Alex will have his stuffed bunny, Peter, and Abby will have her stuffed monkey. What should we name it?"

"George." He said as she pulled the monkey from his hands and rested it against her stomach, presenting it to her daughter who was still in her womb. "We have Peter Rabbit, and this one looks a little like Curious George, so we have to name it George."

"Hey, little girl. This is George. He's your stuffed monkey." She said to her belly. "You know, as soon as these babies start talking, they're gonna change their names." She glanced over at him after she put the stuffed monkey into the cart.

"What did you name your toys when you were a kid?" Jesse asked. She blushed, biting her lip. "What? Was it something stupid?"

"I named everything Taka and Rizzie." She said, and he snorted. She shot him a dirty look, twirling the end of her ponytail around her finger. "Shut up."

"Taka and Rizzie? Really though?" She smacked his upper arm and wandered away from him. He followed her, stopping the cart just behind her, seeing as she looked at the butterflies from before. He pulled her back to face him, taking her face into his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Taka and Rizzie are really cute names." She pouted, and he leaned forward to press a light kiss to her lips. It was the first time he kissed her since he said the three words that turned them upside down for a while. She was relieved, because it meant they were getting back to normal. At least, she hoped so. "Let's buy this stuff and get some lunch. Then, we can head home. I'm anxious to see what this present is that you bought me. Then, we can announce the twins to everyone in a mass text." He grabbed the butterflies that she was looking at, dropping them into the cart, as well. "I think it is safe to say that these butterflies belong in the babies' room."

Beca grinned at Jesse for two reasons. First, he was getting the butterflies that meant so much to her before. Second, she was excited to see what his reaction to the piano was going to be. She really hoped that he liked it. Maybe it was three reasons-she was pretty hungry. She nodded her head, following him as he pushed the cart to the cash register. While he was dealing with the cashier, she checked in with Amy via text. According to her blonde Aussie friend, the piano had been delivered and placed exactly where the petite brunette had wanted it. Amy was going to lock up and head into _Tasmania_. "Let's go." She said impatiently as he signed the credit card receipt. He cocked an eyebrow at her as he slid the slip of paper and pen towards the cashier. "The babies are hungry," she moaned as she rubbed her stomach, making him laugh and the cashier smile at them.

"I'm sure the babies are famished." He joked as he took their bags from the cashier. They brought them to the car, putting them into the trunk. "Where do you want to go for lunch? The place we went last time?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." They walked hand in hand down the street in the direction of the restaurant that they ate in the last time they went shopping for baby stuff. When they arrived at the restaurant, he got them a table while she went to the bathroom for what seemed like the fortieth time that day. After she peed and washed her hands, she checked her appearance in the mirror. Her eyeliner was smudged, like usual, and her hair was messy and falling out of her ponytail. She pulled the elastic from her hair, and she fluffed it, making a mental note to get a haircut soon; it was getting too long for her-she preferred to keep it shoulder length, which is much more manageable, in her opinion. She gathered her hair up again into a much neater ponytail. She wet the pads of her middle fingers to clean up her smudged eyeliner. She adjusted her shirt so that it wasn't as bunched up around her waist. When she was finished, she thought she looked a bit more put together than before. She walked out of the bathroom and glanced around for her husband.

Her jaw tensed, and she crossed her arms. There he was, sitting at a table, smiling at pretty brunette dressed in a skintight dress with a lightweight sweater over it, seated on the opposite side of the table. Next to her was a blonde with her hair cut short in an asymmetrical bob, dressed in a pair of jean capris and a tight t-shirt. The brunette was familiar, very familiar. _Too fucking familiar_. She narrowed her eyes when she saw the girl reach across the table to lay her hand on his forearm. She took a deep breath to center herself. She marched across the room, plastering a big smile onto her face. "Jesse," she said pressing a kiss to his cheek. He smiled up at her, wrapping an arm around her waist and brushing his hand across the swell of her stomach as he leaned over to press a kiss on it, saying his hellos to both her _and the babies_. If she wasn't so pissed at the moment, she would find it to be cute. "Janelle, hello!" She turned her attention onto the daughter of her husband's boss.

Janelle plastered a very fake smile onto her face, leaning forward in a way that squeezed her upper arms together and accentuated her breasts, a move that was obviously directed towards Jesse, in the hopes that he would draw his attention to them. "Beca! Wow! Look at you! you're huge." She scrunched her nose up in a way that was supposed to be cute, an act that the petite brunette was all too familiar with due to her _perfect_ step-sister. Beca couldn't help but think about how Janelle and Mia were probably Satan's twin daughters that were roaming the Earth in the hopes of ruining the lives of the innocent (okay, so maybe she wasn't exactly innocent, but _still_). "This is my roommate, Ellie." Janelle said, waving a hand at her blonde friend.

"Well, generally, that is what happens when you're six and a half months pregnant." Beca responded, clutching at her stomach as if she was trying to protect her babies from the talons and beak of the disgusting vulture that was trying to flirt with her husband in front of her. She glanced briefly at the blonde beside Janelle, who looked uncomfortable and confused. "It's nice to meet you, Ellie. I'm Beca, Jesse's wife." The blonde gave her a tense smile.

"Beca's gorgeous." Jesse said, interlacing Beca's fingers with the fingers of his left hand as he tugged her into the seat beside him. His right arm draped across her shoulders as he tucked her more firmly into his side. He brushed a kiss across her temple.

"Of course! I didn't mean for it to sound that I didn't think she looks great. She totally does. She's just so big now." Janelle tried, squeezing her arms together, and her boobs looked like they were about to pop out of her dress. Beca tensed beside her, because she saw Jesse's gaze slip to the younger girl's breasts involuntarily. He'd been so good, but he finally lost the battle. She saw Janelle look triumphant momentarily, until she realized that Jesse changed his expression to one of disgust at her blatant flirting. His eyes were narrowed as he looked at her face, no longer smiling. Janelle swallowed, gradually relaxing her arms so that her breasts were no longer pushed up to her chin.

"We're having twins." Jesse said, laying a comforting hand onto Beca's stomach.

"Twins?" Janelle said, watching as he stared sweetly at Beca and ran a hand over her bump.

"Yeah, a boy and a girl. I'm so excited. We're naming them Alexander and Abigail. Becs, how are you feeling?" She smiled at him.

"I'm starving, and my feet are killing me. The joys of being pregnant." She joked to the two younger girls. "You're always tired, hungry, sore, or feel like you need to be."

"Do you need a foot rub when we get home?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's _your_ birthday. This is supposed to be a day all about you and me doing nice things _for you_."

"Giving you a foot rub is nice for me." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"How is that nice for you?"

"It will make you happy and feel good." He brushed his lips against hers in a light kiss. "When you're happy and feel good, I generally get to _feel happy and good_." She rolled her eyes at his innuendo, chuckling.

"You're such a pervy dork." She told him, turning her attention back to the pissed off Janelle and very uncomfortable Ellie. Beca felt bad for the blonde, who looked like she wished she could be anywhere else. "How's school going for you two?" She said as she perused the menu for what she wanted to eat for lunch.

"It's going really well. I just finished up my midterms, and I'm really looking forward to the end of the semester. I'll be back home and helping out in Daddy's office during winter break." Janelle said, running a hand through her brown hair in a way that was supposed to be enticing to Jesse. Beca tensed beside him, and he laid a reassuring hand on her knee, squeezing it lightly.

"I remember that feeling." She said after she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm sure you both did great on your midterms. I remember how much all those tests sucked." She reached down to play with Jesse's fingers that were lying on her knee. She kept interlacing them and then pulling hers out of his, repeating the process over and over. "Well, that was actually when I went to my classes. I usually skipped all of the useless classes, like English." He snorted beside her, chuckling. She grinned at him, amused by his amusement.

"I'm sure your dad loved that. Especially when you skipped English classes." She rolled her eyes, because her dad was such a douche.

"I had a class with him. My senior year. I had to take a final gen. ed. course in English, and I couldn't get out of it. The only one that was open that didn't require pre-requisites was his class. It was the worst. I actually had to go to that class and fucking pay attention, because he kept calling on me to answer questions. It's almost as if he had to prove to everyone that he wasn't giving me my grade just because I was his daughter, you know. Stupid fucking literature course. I'll have you know that _Heart of Darkness _was like the worst novel ever written." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry that you had to take a class with your dad. Did he fail you?"

"Fuck no. I aced every one of those tests with barely any effort. He thinks that I was secretly a dumbass because I wanted to be a music producer and didn't care about all the book stuff. Just because music is my whole world, it doesn't mean I'm dumb and don't know shit."

"The grammar in that sentence would probably have given your dad a heart attack." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Whatever." She tensed up, a huge smile on her face. "One of them is kicking."

"Where?" He laid a hand on her stomach, and she guided it to where one of the baby's was kicking. "Which one do you think it is?"

"Probably Alex. He's going to be just as annoying as his father." She told him, earning a tongue stuck out of her in response from her husband.

"You two are really cute together." Ellie said. "C'mon, Janelle. We should get a table and order. We have class in two and a half hours."

"Right." Janelle reluctantly stood up. "It was nice running into you both. Happy birthday, Jesse. I look forward to seeing you both again. Daddy hosts a big Thanksgiving party the weekend before every year, and he always invites business associates of his. I'm guessing you're going to that?"

"Actually, we couldn't make it to the party. We were flying to Florida for a friend's wedding anniversary that weekend." Jesse said.

"Yeah, our friend Ashley and her husband live in Florida. They've been married for three years now." Beca grinned. Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to see. She started bouncing up and down in the chair, out of excitement. "Yay!"

"What's up? Stop bouncing, or you're gonna deliver the twins three months too early." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Aubrey texted to say that she's pregnant. When that girl's determined, she makes shit happen. It's been less than a month since she decided that she and Rich were gonna have a baby."

"She is? That's fantastic. Tell her and Rich I say congrats, and that we look forward to our babies playing together."

"I will. I'm telling her about Abby, too. She'll be happy to know that she's first to know of our friends. Plus, she's gotta embroider a second pillow for Abby."

"Chloe will kill you." Neither one of them noticed that Ellie had drug a pissed Janelle away from the table. They were too caught up in their own business to really care about a nineteen year old who was crushing on her dad's employee.

"Yeah, well, Aubrey and I are talking about babies right now. Chloe says she doesn't want to get pregnant yet. According to her, she's only thirty-one, so she has plenty of time to get pregnant."

"Bumper said he'd go without sex if Amy tried to get pregnant." She chuckled, shaking her head at him.

"That's bullshit. Amy's gonna pop out a baby if she wants to have one. She'd tie him down and have her way with him."

"That's how their Friday night usually looks. I didn't want to know that, but Bumper told me after a night of drinking." She gagged, shivering.

"Seriously, I'm picturing Bumper naked right now, and I feel like puking." He laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"So, let's get that lunch in you for the babies. I'm ready to see my birthday present."

Beca grinned again. "What if we get lunch to go? I'm excited to see how you'll thank me for your birthday present." Jesse winked at her before leaning over to press a kiss against her lips. She deepened the kiss, running her nails along the back of his neck, keeping him in place. In the back of her mind, she knew that Janelle was shooting daggers at them from wherever she was sitting with her roommate. She wanted the little bitch to see Jesse be all over her, because even when she was pregnant, he wanted her more than he wanted that slut. Wow. These babies were making her really hormonal. She was pissed off and horny, and she wanted to have some hot, angry sex with her husband.

About forty-five minutes later, they were walking through the door of their condo, with him loaded down with a ton of bags, and her digging fries out of their lunch bag. "Don't look into the living room. Drop the stuff onto the dining room table and go straight to the kitchen. Lunch first, present later." She said, guiding him away from the living room. He did as he was told, pouting all the while, because he wanted to know what his birthday present was. She laughed, following him into the kitchen. They sat down to eat their lunch, and she watched as he bounced in his seat. "We're gonna have your birthday dinner at six. I planned it out. All of your favorites. Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a salad. For dessert, I have the fixings for our ice cream sundaes since you're a weirdo who doesn't like cake."

"That sounds wonderful. I will grill the steak." He said, leaning over to kiss her, tangling his hands into her hair, dislodging her ponytail some. She didn't really care, because she was caught up in the kiss. "Thank you for today." He said, pulling back to stare into her eyes. She was so relieved that things between them were back on track. She didn't like when things between them were strained. His birthday was back on track again.

"Mmm," Beca moaned against his lips, pulling back slightly to brush her nose against his. "I'm loving my thank you, and we haven't even gotten to your present." Jesse shrugged, pulling her back against him, kissing her again.

"I don't even care about that anymore," he muttered against her lips, climbing out of his seat to get closer to her, deepening the kiss. She clutched his shoulders, arching into the kiss. She felt the thumping in her stomach from the babies kicking. She broke the kiss, laughing. "Mood killer, guys." He pouted, running a hand over her stomach. "I'm trying to get birthday sex." That only made her laugh harder, the tears leaking out of her eyes. He shook his head at her. "I'm not kidding. I was trying to get you in the mood." He said as he wiped at the tears on her cheeks. She sobered up, because she couldn't help but think of Janelle. He saw her discomfort, and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Were you thinking of Janelle? I'm surprised the girl didn't strip naked in the damn restaurant. She was like trying so hard for you to check out her boobs." The tears turned into real tears, and she hated being pregnant in that moment.

"Hey, hey, no." He said, brushing his thumbs beneath her eyes, catching the tears. "Don't cry, Becs. Janelle's pretty and all, but you're sexy and gorgeous and beautiful and hot and pretty much everything else. You're what I want." She stared up at him, sniffling. "I don't know how many more times I can say it, but you being pregnant with my babies is the sexiest thing in the world. Why would I want some kid when I could have you?"

"Really? You really mean that? You think I'm more attractive than Janelle?" She whimpered like a little kid. Seriously, she hated herself.

"I think _Bumper's_ more attractive than Janelle." She laughed again, feeling better. He leaned over her, kissing her lightly. "You okay?" She nodded her head.

"I want you to see what got you for your birthday." She told him, using him as her support as she stood up. She interlaced their fingers while she used her other hand to wipe at her eyes. "C'mon." She pulled him from the kitchen, leaving their dishes and wrappers all over the kitchen table, deciding to worry about their mess later. "Close your eyes." He did as she asked, and she guided him into the living room. The piano was beautiful, a rich dark brown that matched their furniture. The cover was raised, exposing the ivory and onyx keys. She smiled, letting go of his hand. "I'm gonna get my phone to take pictures. Wait a moment." She rushed (as quickly as a six month pregnant woman could rush) to her bag to grab her phone. When she was beside him again, she snapped a picture of him with his eyes closed, a smile of anticipation on his face. "Open them," she said as she stood to the side and took a series of pictures of him.

Jesse opened his eyes and froze, taking in the sight of the piano. His eyes widened, and he raised a hand to cover his mouth. Beca kept capturing pictures on her phone. He walked forward, pressing a finger over one of the keys, the sound of reverberating through the living room. The sound of music thrilled her, and hearing the note echo through the room sent a shock down her spine. Knowing just how talented he was, even with the electronic notes that usually came from his old keyboard, she couldn't wait to hear him on a real piano. He ran his fingers across the keys, and it gave her chills. She continued to snap pictures. Finally, he stopped and turned to her, crossing over to her in barely two steps. She opened her mouth to ask him if he liked his gift, but she found herself being gathered into his arms, his mouth slanted over hers. She felt the phone slip from her fingers, her hands immediately going to the back of his neck. Her nails dug into the skin there, making him moan and pull her tighter against him.

The babies were going nuts in her stomach, but she was too caught up in the kiss. Air became a problem, and she pulled back, letting out a shuddering breath. "I take it you like you present," she said, pressing a hand to her forehead, trying to regain her breath. Having two babies pressing against your lungs was bad enough, let alone when a hot man was sucking what little air you did have in your lungs out of you.

"That'd be an understatement." He muttered, brushing kisses down her neck. She closed her eyes, arching her neck to give him more access to the skin, groaning when he bit down and sucked hard on her skin. She was going to have a hickey to hide when she went back to work the next day. She pulled away from him, grabbing at the belt around his waist. She quickly pulled it free from his pants and pulled him by his belt loops on his jeans towards the couch. She sat down, grinning when she realized it put her at eye level with his dick. She smiled seductively at him as she opened the button and slowly pulled the zipper down. "Becs," he gasped as she rubbed her hand over the swell beneath his boxers. He tried to follow her onto the couch, but she pushed with all her might against his hips, keeping him standing in front of her.

"Part two of your birthday present is a killer blow job, because you've been a really good husband lately." He chuckled, which turned into a moan as she tugged his jeans down his hips. She bit her bottom lip as she watched him become harder as he toed off his sneakers, putting all of his weight onto the arm of the couch so that he didn't fall over. She leaned over to help him step out of his jeans until he was standing before her in his boxers. She raked her nails up and down the backs of his thighs, making him moan.

"Question," he gasped out as her fingers danced under the material on the back of his legs. "What have I done lately that made me a good husband?" She glanced up at him, cupping his butt under the material of his underwear. His eyes fell shut. "_Fuck_! I just need to know so that I can keep it up." She grinned, pulling her hands back from beneath the boxers, stroking her nails along the skin as she went, making him shudder.

"Well, for one thing, you've haven't commented on how disgusting my boobs look, and they totally do, so don't even pretend that they don't!" She said as her eyes latched onto his arousal that was tenting the front of his boxers. She rubbed her hand over it, cupping him from the outside, making him jerk into her hand.

"I love your boobs," he muttered. "No matter how gross you think they are, I'm totally in love with them." She squeezed him a little tighter, making him rock his hips into her hand.

"Plus, you started out as such a good boy today when Janelle was trying her best to get you to check out her boobs." She rubbed him harder over his boxers. "But, you did look. It was only for a moment, so as your punishment, I'm gonna drag this out until I decide when you deserve your reward." He moaned when she dropped her hand from the front of him. She pushed him by the hips so that he would take a couple of steps back.

Beca stood up in front of Jesse, pulling her shirt over her head, watching as he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, as he took in the sight of her in just her nursing bra. She unbuttoned her pants, sliding them slowly down her hips, revealing her skin only a little at a time. His eyes followed the path of her hands. They finally reached the floor, and she carefully stepped out of them, kicking them away from her when she was finished. She sat back down, settling into the couch, biting her lip. She was hoping that she was being seductive as she ran her hand over her breasts, moaning at the feel of her hands brushing over her nipples. She watched as his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. She knew that he wanted nothing more than to touch her. He was rock hard, she could tell, and she couldn't wait to put him out of his misery. She was actually growing tired of teasing him, because she wanted to touch him probably way more than he did, but she forced herself to continue, brushing her hands over the swell of her stomach. She bit her lip as she slid her hand between her legs, brushing her sex over her underwear. She whimpered, because it felt so good. "Jesus," he muttered, taking a step forward.

She didn't care that he was coming forward or that his hand was ghosting over the skin of her neck and down her chest to cup her breast through the bra. She was focused on the hand that she had slipped beneath her panties, touching herself, making her hips bow off of the couch. "Jesse," she moaned, her fingers stroking her clit. She felt like she was on fire, but this wasn't about her. This was about him. She slowed her hand down, pushing his other hand away from her breast. She pulled her hand from her panties and used them both to guide his boxers down his thighs, finally releasing his erection from its confines. He moaned, his head falling back as she began to stroke him, using the very hand that had been pleasuring herself moments before.

"Fuck, Beca," he leaned on the arm of the couch to hold himself up as she sped up her hand. She bit her lip, wanting to taste him. She leaned forward, guiding the tip of his dick into her mouth. He moaned, his hands slipping into her hair. He yanked the elastic from her hair, throwing it away from him, letting his fingers tangle into her loose locks. She let him control it for awhile, let him guide more of himself into her mouth as she continued to use her hand to stroke the upper portion. Her other hand was anchored onto his ass, and she was kneading it, making him groan and jerk against her. "Oh, Beca," he groaned as he began thrusting in and out of her mouth, while her other hand slipped behind him to knead his other butt cheek. After a while, she needed to breath, and she wanted control back, so she pushed him away from her, going back to slowly stroking him with her hand.

"I'm so turned on, Jesse," Beca whispered, squeezing him slightly with her and as she used her other hand to cup her own breast. Jesse groaned, reaching out to touch her other breast with one of his hands. She brushed her hand down her stomach and beneath her underwear, touching herself again. "I'm so wet," she gasped out as she stroked her fingers over her clit. He licked his bottom lip, his eyes latched onto the hand moving between her legs. She stop stroking him, instead squeezing him lightly in her hand, making him groan and attempt to thrust against her hand. "Not yet..." She told him, letting go of him to unlatch the cup of her bra that his hand wasn't touching. Her fingers immediately found her nipple, and she began moving her hand between her legs much faster and franticly, chasing her orgasm. She watched him with hooded eyes as she quickly unhooked her other cup, matching the way she massaged her own breast and nipple. His other hand went to his arousal, and he began to stroke himself. "No!" She told him, making him still his hand. "Only I can touch you." His eyes shut for a moment as he groaned.

"Please, Beca, I can't take it. I need you," he moaned, his hand still wrapped around his erection. She bit her lip, watching him and arching her body into their hands. She nodded once.

"Slowly, I don't want you to come yet." She told him, smiling at him as he pouted as he resumed jerking himself off, thrusting into his hand on each stroke. She felt her own orgasm building, and she cried out as it hit her, her hips rocking into her hand as she eased herself down from her high. She saw that he stop stroking, watching her as she shuddered. She took pity on him then, because she knew that he was probably so turned on that it hurt. She pulled her hand from her underwear, wrapping it around his erection. She began stroking him, and he pulled his own hand away, gripping the arm of the couch once again. She sped up, leaning forward, sucking the tip into her mouth. Soon, she was sucking him into her mouth, stroking the parts that she couldn't fit. He buried the hand that was on her breast into her hair, thrusting his hips lightly.

"I'm gotta come, Beca," he groaned, and she smiled around him, sucking hard. He jerked, and his orgasm flew through him, and she swallowed everything that he gave her. He continued to shallowly thrust into her mouth until he was spent, releasing her hair, pulling himself from her body. He watched her grin at him, leaning back into the couch. "Fuck, that just might be better than the piano." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I hope so." Jesse laughed, following Beca onto the couch to kiss her, his hands immediately finding her breasts, which he cupped. He glanced down at them, and she looked down to, frowning in disgust when she noticed that they were leaking. "Gross."

"It's not gross," he told her as he brushed his hands over her nipples. "It's beautiful. It's your body's way of preparing for the babies." He kissed her again, continuing to gently massage them, even though they were leaking like crazy. She tried to keep her anxiety and panic over it down, because he was listening to her by not bringing his mouth anywhere near them. He broke the kiss and moved his hands away from her breasts to the sides of her underwear. He pulled them down her legs, with her helping him. "You're so beautiful," he whispered as he spread her legs, his eyes roaming her naked body.

He leaned forward to press a series of kisses onto her stomach as his fingers began to stroke her between her legs. She whimpered when his thumb hit her clit, which was still rather sensitive. He grinned at her before pulling her by the hips so that her body was at the edge of the couch. He buried his face between her legs, using his shoulder to keep her legs spread. The feel of his tongue stroking her clit over and over while his fingers slid in and out of her made her cry out. She rocked her hips against him, her hands buried into his hair, her head back, her eyes closed. She was in heaven. This went from being a present for him to one for her, and she was totally fine with it. She scraped her nails along his neck, making him moan and suck harder on her clit. She jerked against him when his fingers found that spot deep within her that made her see stars. If it weren't for the fact that it felt so goddamn good that she couldn't contain herself, the sounds that she was making would have been embarrassing.

Jesse pressing against Beca's g-spot, his tongue flicking against her clit, and the gentle kneading of her breast with his other hand sent her over the edge. She cried out, rocking her body into him, her eyes shut so tightly that she saw red rather than black. He eased back, pressing a series of kisses to her inner thighs as he slowed down the thrust of his fingers. He pulled them out, and she whimpered when she watched him suck them into his mouth to clean them up. "You taste so good," she crinkled her nose.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't say that. It grosses me out," she muttered, ignoring his lecherous grin as he wiped at his chin. He stood up and sat onto the couch beside her, digging through his jeans for his wallet, finding the condom that he always kept on him since they discovered that his sperm was causing her to have painful Braxton Hicks contractions. Her eyes were latched onto his growing erection, and she leaned forward, capturing the tip in her mouth again. He groaned, stroking his hand along the back of her neck.

"Wait, fuck, Becs. I need to be inside you." He muttered, easing her off of him. He opened the condom quickly, pulling it on. He helped her to straddle his hips, grinning when he saw that her stomach wasn't too big for him to still be able to reach her mouth for a kiss. He brushed his lips over hers. "You ready," he said against her lips as he gripped himself, the tip brushing against her entrance. She nodded her head, leaning her forehead against his. She guided herself down while he thrust into her.

"Oh, God, Jesse," Beca moaned. Her eyes were clamped shut as she rocked against him, with him meeting her with his own slow thrusts. Earlier she wanted to have angry sex with him, but slow like this was so much better. It dragged everything out. She _felt_ everything so much more.

"Look at me, Beca. Open your eyes and look at me." She opened her eyes. Her eyes locked with Jesse's, and they stayed like that, their faces pressed against each other, their bodies pressed against each other, with her hands gripping his shoulders, and his gripping her waist. They were rocking against each other slowly, and the moment was so much stronger, so much more intimate, than any other moment that they had shared in the entire time that they had been with each other. She gasped, her fingers digging deeper into his shoulders. She closed the distance between them, kissing him hard, and with a few more thrusts, she tumbled over the edge, with him following her. She collapsed against him, her body feeling like she was on fire and a puddle at the same time. She didn't (couldn't?) move, so she stayed there, ignoring the way that their sweat and breath mingled. She felt the beat of his heart against her own. She let out a breath, shivering when he stroked his fingers up and down her spine. The babies were relaxed in her stomach. She noticed when sex was slower and less frantic, they weren't going nuts, but instead seemed to be lulled to sleep. She closed her eyes, feeling her own tiredness settle into her bones. "Becs, I know you're tired, but I gotta take care of the condom." She nodded her head, and he helped her climb off of his lap and to collapse onto the couch beside him. She lazily watched him pull on his boxers before standing up off the couch, hooking the cups of her bra back into place.

He disappeared, reappearing a few minutes later, using a washcloth to help clean her up. He tossed it aside and climbed onto the couch beside her, settling in behind her, pressing her close to him so that the swell of her stomach was trapped between them. He pulled one of the throw blankets over them and leaned forward to press a series of kisses against her face until he finally reached her mouth. He pulled back, and her blue eyes met his brown ones. His index finger stroked over her jaw, up over her cheek and around her eye, across her forehead, and down the sloped of her nose before tracing the outline of her lips. He repeated the process over and over, relaxing her so that her eyes began to drift shut. She smiled, and she couldn't help but think how much she loved this man and how she could spend the rest of her life in his arms.

Beca's eyes flew open, and she sucked in a deep breath. Jesse frowned in concern, stilling his finger on her lips. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just...I have to pee. I'll be back." She said, pulling out from beneath the blanket. She fumbled on the floor for his t-shirt. She pulled it on, frowning when she saw that it barely covered the bottom of her butt due to the swell of her stomach. She grabbed her underwear, sliding them on before she wandered into half-bath that was near the kitchen. She turned on the light and shut the door behind her, sitting down onto the toilet. She buried her face into her hands, tearing up. What the hell was wrong with her? What she was feeling was just the combination of hormones and feeling close to him because of the baby. She _couldn't_ love him. This wasn't real. This marriage was going to end in about a year and a half. He was just her best friend. That was it. When she finally found her composure, she peed and stood up. She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands, and she saw red cheeks, swollen lips, mussed hair, and heartache in her eyes. She swallowed. She lied to him earlier when she said that she loved him only as a friend. She'd been lying to him when she said that this wasn't real to her. She'd been lying to herself all along about how much he meant to her. She _loved _Jesse. _Fuck_. What was she going to do now?

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**Author's Note: AHHHHHH! Beca finally realized that she loved Jesse. Now, these two crazy kids need to just admit it to each other. For real this time. Plus, everyone needs to find out the truth about Beca and Jesse's marriage. Oh, and the babies need to be born! So, review please! Let me know what you think about this chapter and the upcoming conclusion of this story! Two chapters to go!**


	19. Chapter 19

**My Fake Husband**

**A **_**Pitch Perfect**_** Story**

**Chapter 19**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything familiar.**

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! This chapter jumps through time from Jesse's birthday (when Beca is about 25 weeks pregnant) to Saturday, January 25th (when she's nearly 37 weeks pregnant and full-term). I'm such a dummy. Since I'm jumping past Beca's b-day (which is the 19th of January in this story and she's now 27), I realized that I did the math wrong in chapter 17 when I said that Jesse was turning 29, when in reality, he's only turning 28. Sorry about that. I corrected chapter 17. **

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Beca splashed some water on her face, washing away her messy eye makeup. She ran her wet hands through her hair, trying to detangle it. She grabbed the hand towel that hung beside the sink, drying her face and hands. She hung the towel back up and decided that she better get back before Jesse came looking for her. She needed to feel some semblance of control, even if the little bit of control she did get was deciding when and how she saw him again-in the few minutes it would take for her to walk from the half-bath near the kitchen to the living room. She left the bathroom, pausing just outside of it when she heard the fain sound of the piano coming from the living room. She smiled to herself, walking slowly towards the sound. She paused in the doorway, watching him. His head was bent over the keys, and he was playing something she'd never heard before. After a few minutes, she walked over to stand behind him. She laid a hand on his shoulder, making him jump and mess up what he was playing.

"Shit!" He said, laying a hand to his chest. "You scared me, Becs."

"What were you playing?" She asked him as he turned around to face her. He brushed a hand over her stomach, while he interlaced the fingers of his other hand with one of hers. She bit her lip as she tried to keep her composure. It was kind of difficult to stay focused in the moment considering he was sitting at the piano she had just bought him in his boxers after they just had really intense (albeit slow) sex. He was looking entirely too good nearly naked, and she kind of hated him for it. He dropped his hand from her swollen stomach to wrap his arm around her waist and help her sit down on the piano bench beside him. He then pressed a kiss against her shoulder before answering her.

"It's just something that I've been working on lately." He told her, resting his forehead against her shoulder. Her hand immediately rose to the back of his head, her fingers tangling into his hair. It was out of habit, but she felt him smile against her, shifting his head so that he could kiss her neck. They were within touching distance to each other, so it seemed like they _had_ to touch each other; they were drawn to each other. "I'm writing it for you." He whispered against the crease of her neck. She felt tears fill her eyes, and she shifted, straddling the piano bench. He pulled away long enough to do the same, pulling her legs up to rest over the tops of his thighs. He pulled her into a tight her hug, leaning his forehead against hers. "What's wrong?" He raised a hand to rest against her cheek, brushing his thumb beneath her to catch the couple of stray tears that fell. "Don't cry."

"I'm fine. I swear. I'm just hormonal, that's all." She whispered, smiling at him. She truly loved this man; he was entirely too good for her. They stared into each other's eyes, their foreheads pressed together; it was insanely intimate, just like the look they shared while they were having sex. When he asked her to look at him, it was as if they were staring into each other's souls. It's why she had kissed him, because, at the time, it was far too intimate, far too real, far too emotional for her. She kissed him to get away from those thoughts and feelings. Now, she knew it was because she loved him, and it was too hard for her to feel that in the moment, so she denied herself the chance to feel it. "What you were playing was so beautiful, and then to hear you say that you wrote it for me..." She pulled away from him to wipe at her eyes, her bottom lip quivering. "Uggh! Sometimes being pregnant really sucks," she muttered, pouting. He smiled at her, chuckling softly to himself. He pulled her even closer, and she couldn't help but think dirty thoughts when only two thin pieces of fabric were separating their bottom halves from each other.

"Remember we decided that I was going to knock you up continuously for the rest of our lives so that you never have to deal with having your period again and because the increased sex drive made sex fantastic? I already told you, the second you get the okay from Brian to get pregnant again, I'm ready to put another baby inside you." Beca's eyes widened, because that better be a fucking joke. "Holy shit, the look on your face is hilarious." She punched him as hard as she could, and he grunted, gripping his upper arm. "Shit, Becs! That hurt!" He groaned, pouting at her. She just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'll pass, thanks. I've got one of each comin'. I think I'm good." She said, patting her stomach. "Don't need any more babies."

"Aww, c'mon, Becs! It would be so much fun to make more babies. We have to give the twins a younger brother and sister. We don't want them to gang up on each other, but they need a friend who 'gets it,' you know? That's why we need two of each!" Her jaw dropped open. He's not serious. He doesn't seriously expect her to get pregnant until she gives the twins another sibling of the same sex.

"Then, they get a _real_ _friend_ who 'gets it.'" She shook her head at him. "No more babies. I'm probably going to want to tear your junk off once I go into labor, so you better stop while you're ahead, or else I might remember this conversation and actually do it." He rolled his eyes at her and pulled her closer. "I'm not your personal baby-maker, mister." She muttered as he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her lightly repeatedly. She groaned when he chuckled as he kissed her, and she could feel his smile. He was such a jerk.

"I like that idea," he muttered against her lips. "Instead of my own easy bake oven, you'll be my personal baby oven." She pulled her head away from him, pouting. He was grinning like an idiot, and she pouted, crinkling her nose.

"No, I'm done once these babies are born. My uterus is no longer going to be a baby hotel. Stop grinning like that. Stop!" She smacked his shoulder. "Seriously, you're so mean to me."

"I'm not mean," he whispered. "I just...I always wanted a big family, so I want lots of babies."

"Yeah, well, you'll need to find another baby oven, cause this one is closing for business after these two are done cooking." He frowned, looking away from her, and she took the moment to compose herself, because the idea of him leaving her, finding someone else to have a family with just about took her breath away.

"C'mon. We gotta clean up in here and the kitchen, and we gotta tell everyone about Abby. I'm guessing that Aubrey's chomping at the bit to rub it in everybody's face that she knew first."

"Nah, she said she's not gonna tell anyone about Abby until we're ready, but she requested that we don't tell anyone about Abby right away, because she doesn't want the idea of us having twins to steal her thunder. She sent out the mass text to all of our friends about being pregnant, so everyone's freaking out and flooding her with happy messages. I don't want to step in and distract everyone from her good news by announcing that we're having twins. Besides, today's your birthday and we just found out something huge, and I just want to enjoy it. Just us. We didn't get that chance when I first found out I was pregnant. I wished that you were there with me, but I was scared." She looked down at her hands, staring at the ring that he put so much thought into for her.

"I wish I could have been there, too." He said quietly, laying his hand onto her stomach. "I wish I could've held your hand as we listened to the sound of our babies' heartbeats for the first time. As great as it would have been to have known from the moment you did, because it would have meant that I could have been excited for longer, it's more that I wish I could have been there for you when you were probably freaking out over being pregnant. You didn't have anyone to talk to, and you couldn't exactly show your fear or concerns over all of this to Brian. So, you were alone to deal with this for five weeks. I also wish it, because then I wouldn't have freaked out like an insane person when I got blindsided by my boss and his wife."

"Jesse," Beca wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck and slid as close to him as she could, giving him the biggest hug that she could. This was the kind of thing that made her love him, she realized; he knew her so well. He knew that she felt scared and alone and needed someone during those weeks. Then, to have him get so upset about it when he found out. That had made her feel even more alone than before. "You're amazing, you know that?" She whispered into his ear as he held him tightly in her arms. He squeezed her hips in acknowledgment that he heard her. "You're too good for me."

"Ha! I think the entire world knows that." He joked, making her bite his earlobe as a punishment. Instead, it only made him moan and start planting more kisses on the crease of her neck.

"Oh," she moaned tilting her neck more to give him access. She could feel herself starting to buzz with renewed energy, despite having just had some pretty fantastic orgasms only a little while before.

"You taste so good, Becs." He said, sucking on her skin. She jerked, and they both groaned when their groins rubbed against each other.

"Jesse, you've got to stop doing that. We're near the windows. Our neighbors will be able to see us."

"Well, if they didn't see us before, then they won't see us now." He said, grinning when he pulled away from her.

"Oh, god! They're going to think we're such huge sex freaks."

"Nope. They're probably thinking, 'damn, I wish I had their sex life' or 'that pregnant chick totally looks hot naked.'" She smacked his upper arm when he started chuckling.

"Asshole." She muttered, pulling out of his arms. She slid back slightly on the piano bench so that she could move her legs off of him and onto the floor. She carefully stood up, with his help, and she started to make her way to the kitchen to clean up their lunch mess. She left him the job of cleaning up the living room, since it was mainly his clothing anyways.

A few minutes later, Jesse met up with Beca, helping her clean up the last of the mess in the kitchen. She demanded that he play all of the music he knew by heart on the piano, so they migrated back to the living room, where she stood off to the side and watched him play. Suffice to say, his playing the piano was a major turn on for her, and he only made it through one song before she decided they needed to have sex again (this time was definitely _not_ slow, but just as amazing) before they made their way up the stairs to take a relaxing bubble bath and to climb into the bed to watch movies (most of which Beca slept through).

* * *

"Uggh! I want these babies out of me." Beca muttered as Jesse helped her out of the car. They were making their way inside of _Tasmania_ for a party that combined her birthday, which had been the Friday before, Bumper and Amy officially hitting that joyous two-year mark and their marriage status officially adjusted by INS, and the arrival of the twins, who were scheduled to be induced (and/or delivered via c-section) on Wednesday, January twenty-ninth, which would be full-term and would give them some time to go from a breech position to a head down position so that she could give birth vaginally rather than having to go through surgery. Suffice to say, Beca's birthday sucked, because, well, she was nearly thirty-six weeks pregnant and couldn't exactly party hard. She was huge and uncomfortable and hardly slept and constantly had to pee and miserable. Once she hit her third trimester, she wanted nothing to do with Jesse sexually (as in he tried to fool around with her one night, and she was so uncomfortable that she punched him in the stomach and said that is what it felt like when he tried to stick his dick inside of her). The last few weeks had been truly awful for her, and she honestly was sick of being pregnant. She was sure that if she were just having one baby, she would be counting down the days until the birth for a very different reason: excitement over the arrival of that little bundle of joy. Now, she just wanted the babies to be fucking born so that she wasn't so fucking huge and uncomfortable and miserable. She was just happy that she didn't have to go on bed rest, considering how tiny she was in relation to the gargantuan lump protruding from her middle.

"Beca, the babies will be here on Wednesday. You'll get through the next few days beautifully, I promise." She glared at him, thinking of the various ways that she could kill him with the nail file that Stacie always kept on her person-all of which were very painful and lengthy. "Just try to relax and have fun tonight. There will be presents for you. There'll be presents for the babies. Plus, we all put in money for a nice three-week long vacation for Bumper and Amy to go back to Australia so that she can show him all the dingoes and crocodiles and toothless barbarians or whatever she talks about all of the time." He rolled his eyes at her.

"_You'll_ have fun. _You'll_ be able to relax. _You_ don't have two fat babies sitting on your bladder. _You_ don't have to possibly be cut open in order to take out one or two of the babies from your middle. _You_ don't feel uncomfortable when sitting down for longer than fifteen minutes but can't stand for longer than five. _You _can drink as much alcohol as you want. I'm miserable and tired, and I just want these babies _out of me right now_."

"Becs, it's gonna be okay. I already told you, I'm not drinking tonight, because you can't, and because you're too big to drive, and I don't want to drive with alcohol in my system. Plus, Aubrey's not drinking, since she's nearing her twelfth week. I suspect she won't let Rich drink, either." He chewed on his bottom lip. "Then, didn't you say that Ashley and her husband recently started trying to get pregnant, too? After our announcement, Donald and his wife decided to go without birth control. I don't know if they are going to drink or not...either way, there are at least four people won't be drinking." She yawned, rubbing her stomach.

"I think I just want to go to sleep." She muttered as he guided her to the building that was closed for the night for the party. "Did you know that Stacie's brining her boyfriend tonight?" She asked as they slowly made their way towards the entrance to the restaurant that had been closed down for the night for the private party.

"Her boyfriend? Really? I thought _he_ wouldn't let her sleep with one guy or whatever." He joked, referring to how Stacie called her vagina a dude.

Beca shrugged. "She said she really likes this guy. They've been dating for three and a half weeks now, and she thinks she's in love. She hasn't even slept with him yet."

"Holy shit!" Jesse said, staring at her in surprise. "That is love. Stacie doesn't go without sex even when she's on her period."

"God, it's so weird that you know my friend's intimate details and refer to their menstrual cycles without even batting an eye." She muttered to herself, earning a chuckle from him in response.

"Yeah, well, once you got pregnant, and I looked up those miracle of life videos online, I think any squeamishness that I had went out the window." She rolled her eyes at him, because that was nothing, in her opinion. She was the one who was going to do the actual birthing. Thank goodness the four people who lived in the L.A. area (Stacie, Amy, Chloe, and Jessica) were all cool with helping her shave her legs and bikini-line, because she stopped being able to do that on her own at about six and a half months-the down-there situation would've looked like she was a werewolf from the waist down if it hadn't been for their help. "What do we know about this boyfriend? Do the guys and I need to put the fear of God into him or something?" She rolled her eyes _again_.

"You're such an idiot." She muttered to herself. "Stacie would kill you all if you fucked with her relationship. She doesn't have them often, so if you were to screw things up for her before she even fucked him, she would dismember all of you. She didn't tell us anything about this guy other than he's gorgeous and she loves him so much that they haven't even had sex."

"Between you threatening to cut off my junk during labor and the treat of Stacie cutting off my junk if I were to screw up her relationship, I feel emasculated." He said as he held the door open for her.

Beca flipped Jesse off as she hobbled through the door and was met with excited cheers and a number of her girlfriends' or the partners of Jesse's friends swarming her to lay their hands on her belly. She groaned as Chloe practically began undressing her to say hello to her niece and nephew. "Guys, you're gonna knock her over." Jesse chuckled, wrapping a steadying arm around Beca's waist.

"Yeah, stop fucking touching me." She muttered, pressing a hand to her aching back. She couldn't stand for that much longer. She really needed to sit down. "I need to sit down." She glanced around her friends, grinning when she laid her eyes on Aubrey. "Plus, I need to see Aubrey's bump."

"There's hardly anything there." Aubrey said as she linked her arm through the arm that wasn't being blocked by Jesse. The three of them slowly made their way to the free end of the massively long table (that was all of the loose tables in the dining area pushed together) that was facing the door they just entered. Once Beca was seated at the end of the table, with Jesse to her right and Aubrey to her left, she eagerly turned toward her taller, older blonde friend. "Oh, alright." Aubrey sighed, pulling her shirt up and exposing the very small swell on her abdomen.

"Yay! Baby!" Beca cooed, laying her hand onto Aubrey's stomach without asking. (Fuck asking-no one asked her if they could touch her stomach!) She smiled at the hard yet soft feel of a growing baby bump. "Hi, little one. You're gonna fall in love with my son or daughter." She said, stroking Aubrey's stomach. Aubrey grinned, running her hand over Beca's massive stomach, making Jesse roll his eyes and mutter something about how crazy the two of them were.

The party progressed and more and more of their massive group of friends began arriving. Beca spent most of the time in her chair at the end of table, with different people taking up the surrounding chairs before they went off to visit someone else. She was getting more and more tired and uncomfortable as time went on, because the chairs weren't exactly the most comfortable chairs for a pregnant woman to sit in as long as she had. They ate cake and toasted to Beca's birthday, the upcoming birth of the twins, and, finally, Bumper and Amy's marriage status. Chloe was kneeling on the floor beside Beca's chair, her head resting on the bump (for someone who didn't want kids at the moment, Chloe sure liked Beca's pregnant belly) when Benji said something that made Beca almost choke on her slice of vanilla cake with chocolate icing.

"Yo, Jess, I bet you and Beca are looking forward to putting all of your INS bullshit behind you, huh?" He said, slapping Jesse on the back as he sat down in the recently vacated chair beside his best friend and former roommate. Chloe's head flew up, her eyes wide with surprise, and her gaze darted between Beca and Jesse. Beca felt like her redheaded friend's blue eyes were piercing through her soul, able to tell that the marriage between Beca and Jesse was a sham. Chloe narrowed her eyes at them. Beca glanced at Jesse out of the corner of her eye, looking as calm as she possibly could, and she saw that he was chugging his glass of water. Finally, he put it back down on the table and smiled tensely at Benji.

"Um, yeah, we're definitely looking forward to that. That INS interview was totally annoying. Remember, Becs, how we didn't get in to see my immigration lawyer for a few weeks after we got married and started that whole process?" Everything he said was completely true, but the way he said it made it seem like it was an afterthought to go to INS after they got married.

"Yup, I remember. That was right around the time that I found out I was pregnant. That was definitely a hectic week for us, because I was sick all the weekend before." Chloe's eyes gradually opened to a normal size, and eventually her confused look turned into a smile as she dropped her head back down to rest on Beca's bump as she cooed at and stroked it. Beca let out a light breath. Crisis averted, it seemed.

"I'm...uh...gonna run to the bathroom. I'll be back." Jesse pressed a kiss to the top of Beca's head before he wondered off. Aubrey dropped into the seat a few moments later, rolling her eyes at her phone.

"I can't believe Stacie's not here yet. I keep texting her." She muttered, dropping the phone onto the table. Benji smiled at them before he stood up and wondered away. His place was soon filled by Amy. "Ames, you know where Stacie is?"

"Oh, she texted me to say that she and lover boy finally got it on tonight, so she might be late. She's super excited to introduce him to everyone, so she promised that she would show." Amy said as she began eating the remnants of Jesse's half-eaten piece of cake. Beca smiled to herself, because he would not be pleased on his return to find his cake eaten.

"Does anyone know anything about this guy?" Jessica asked from where she was seated in the second chair down from Beca on her left side (the one directly next to Beca on her left side was empty, because Chloe was currently fused to Beca's bump).

"All I know is his name's Cole something." Chloe said. Beca glanced at Amy, and the two of them shared a look. It had to be a coincidence that the guy's name was Cole, right?

"Oh, she just texted me. They just parked." Aubrey said, smiling. Beca grabbed her phone, pulling it out to text Jesse. Her SOS text just went through when she glanced up and saw her gorgeous, voluptuous friend walk through the door, holding hands with a handsome blonde man. _Fuck_. Beca's eyes widened, and she looked over at Amy.

"Amy," Beca said through gritted teeth. Amy cocked an eyebrow at her, then suddenly her face went pale, and she started muttering her ums and uhs to herself, struggling to find words to say in response to the fucked up situation that was running full-steam ahead at Beca. Aubrey, Jessica, and Chloe looked at the Australian woman in confusion.

"Stace, over here!" Aubrey shouted, waving her hand towards their end of the table. Beca ducked her head, letting the veil of messy brown hair fall into her face as she frantically texted Jesse to get his ass out of the bathroom and back to the table _now_. She didn't know how to deal with this situation, and she couldn't exactly get up and run away from it, because she was massively pregnant. _Fuck_.

"Guys!" Stacie said, excitedly, yanking her blonde boyfriend towards their group. "Aubrey, I can't wait to see you little bump. Chloe, are you making out with Beca's bump again?" She said, dropping Cole's hand and rushing towards her friends. She hugged Chloe, Amy (whose mouth was opening and closing like a fish, but her uhs and ums had stopped), and Jessica first. Then, she turned to Aubrey, hugging her and rubbing the slight bulge on the blonde's middle. She then turned to Beca, who was still trying to melt into her chair. "Oh, wow, Becs! You look so amazing. How're my niece and nephew doing?" She dropped to her kneed on the floor in the same way that Chloe had been doing before, running her hands over Beca's swollen center. "Hi, Alex. Hi, Abby. I'm your Aunt Stacie." She said softly to Beca's stomach. She pressed a kiss to the bump before standing up. "Guys, this is my boyfriend, Cole. Cole, these are some of my best girlfriends. This is Aubrey, Jessica, Amy, Chloe, and Beca." She said, waving her hand to each girl as she presented them.

"Beca?" Cole's eyes widened when Beca finally lifted her head and let her face become clear to the man she had made out with several times (all the while being pregnant. God, that made her feel slutty). Her eyes fell shut before she opened them, opening her mouth to say something, _anything_.

"You two know each other or something?" Stacie said, glancing between Beca and Cole in confusion.

"Hi, Cole. I'm Jesse, Beca's husband." Jesse's calming voice came from behind her, and he laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly. It was enough of a squeeze that it came out as more tense and upset than reassuring, and Beca knew that he was freaking out, too. He extended his right hand over Beca's head, still squeezing her shoulder.

Cole's gaze transferred from Jesse's hand to Beca's face to her stomach. She could tell that he was thinking back to her speech about how things between her and Jesse weren't real, that it was all just so he could stay in the country. To an outsider-one who didn't know that their relationship wasn't real, like she, Jesse, Bumper, and Amy did (no matter how much Beca now wished for it to be real)-the obvious swell of her stomach meant that that was all _bullshit_. Cole swallowed before he reached out to shake Jesse's hand. "It's nice to meet you. All of you." He said, glancing to the rest of the girls that were surrounding them. "Um, great running into you again, Beca. I, uh, guess congratulations are in order." He said, waving to her stomach. She could see the obvious discomfort in him, because he was shifting from one foot to the other. Stacie was glancing between Beca and Cole.

"Did you guys used to date or something?" She asked, crossing her arms as she stared at Cole. His face became pale, and Beca winced when Jesse's hand on her shoulder tightened even further. She shook her shoulder, and he immediately loosened his hand, rubbing it gently where he squeezed it in apology.

"Uh..." Cole stuttered, and Beca finally found her words.

"We went out a few times, but things between Jesse and I started getting serious, so Cole and I broke things off." It was the truth, sort of. They got married right before things ended between her and Cole. She only hoped that Cole would keep their secret. He glanced over at her, his green eyes narrowing and his jaw tightening.

"Yeah, I was really into Beca, so it really sucked when I found out that she was with someone else." She reached up with her left hand to interlace her fingers with his. The light hit her engagement ring, and she saw Cole's eyes immediately travel to it. He drug his eyes back to meet hers, and he shook his head lightly. "Listen, it's always awkward to run into a sort of ex. Can we get a drink, babe?" He said to Stacie, who ran a hand through her hair awkwardly. She didn't know what to make of Beca and Cole dating, obviously, and she nodded her head. The two of them wondered off. Chloe, Aubrey, and Jessica turned to stare at Beca.

"You dated him while you were with Jesse?" Chloe said, her arms crossed. She looked pissed for Jesse's sake, and Beca took a deep breath, ready to argue with her best friend.

"Look, Chloe, I knew all about them." Jesse said, coming to Beca's defense. "Beca and I weren't exactly exclusive for most of our relationship before we got married. I couldn't really expect her not to see other people when I was still living on the east coast. Once I moved here and things between us got more serious, she and Cole stopped dating." Again, it was all true, but the way he said it implied that she and Cole dated back in the August or September before Jesse officially moved to L.A. in December of 2012, not in the days following the drunken, unprotected sex that they had after their engagement that resulted in their unborn children. Amy kept her knowledge to herself, not giving anything away with her usual series of ums and uhs. The other girls seemed satisfied with his response, and they wondered off to find their husbands. Amy gave her a relieved thumbs-up before she went to find Bumper.

"Fuck! That was close!" Beca muttered as she shrunk into her chair. She grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to Stacie, telling her that she and Cole had only gone out on a couple of dates and had never slept together, and that it was definitely not serious for Beca, hoping that would relieve Stacie's discomfort over the situation. She hoped like hell that Cole realized after things were over between them that he wasn't serious about Beca either, but she couldn't be sure so she left that out of the text. She then texted Cole to say that she was sorry if she upset him about the things she said about the time that they dated each other. She also said that at the time that she was dating Cole, things with her and Jesse were still a farce (and that no one knew that) and that she and Jesse had slept together after getting really drunk. She finished off the text that things between them changed once they found out about the twins. All of it was true, _again_, but she hoped that the ending implied that they were in love and were planning on staying together. She sent a second text to him, begging him not to tell Stacie the truth about her and Jesse. His response was instantaneous: _fuck you_ and _you better tell her and soon, because I won't lie to my girlfriend about some chick that I 'went out with a few times_.' "Fuck," she muttered, handing her phone to Jesse.

"Yeah, this isn't good." Jesse muttered, handing the phone back.

"What are we going to do? We can't exactly tell them in the middle of this party that everything between us was bullshit and that the only reason why we're pregnant was because we got drunk, and you didn't wrap it up whereas I didn't put my diaphragm in." She said quietly, running a hand over her face. "I feel like shit." She muttered, sitting forward to rub at her back. Her entire body felt like it was tense and uncomfortable and sore. She needed to move. "Can you help me stand up? I think I've been sitting for too long."

"Are you okay, Beca?" He said, jumping up to help her stand.

"Yeah, I am. It's just my back is hurting, and I'm tired and uncomfortable, and I have to pee." She said, and he helped her making her way in the direction of the bathroom. He waited outside the door while she inched her way in, feeling a ton of pressure on her lower half. She made it a couple of steps when she felt an intense pain slam through her pelvis, and she bent over, gripping her stomach and crying out. She stumbled slightly to the side, grabbing hold of the counter with one hand.

Jesse was through the door and at her side within a moment. "Beca? What's wrong?" Beca whimpered at the intense pain that she was feeling. She couldn't even talk, just clutch at her stomach and the counter. Gradually, the pain reduced, and she realized that she was sweating.

"It's getting better." She whispered, raising a shaking hand to rub at her sweaty forehead. Suddenly, it felt like a cork was popped inside of her, and she felt wetness leak through her underwear and down the inside of her thighs under her maxi dress. "Um, Jess...either I just pissed myself, or my water broke." She said as calmly as she could (she wouldn't be surprised if she did piss herself, because she was far enough along that she always had to pee and had taken to wearing a lightweight pad in her underwear in the last few weeks, because she would pee a little every time she laughed or sneezed or coughed or _breathed_). The two of them glanced down at the floor beneath her maxi dress, and they noticed that there was small, slightly pink puddle on the floor.

"Holy shit! The babies are coming!" He pulled her into a hug, and she grimaced, because she wanted to get out of her damp underwear/pad/dress. She doubled over again, crying out at the pain in her stomach. He held her in her arms until the contraction passed. Tears were running down her face at the pain. "Becs, that was only a couple of minutes from the last one. When did you start noticing the contractions? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know I was in labor, Jesse. I just knew that my back was hurting more than usual tonight. I thought it was because I was sitting in that chair in the same position without a pillow or a leg rest, and I was uncomfortable." He swallowed, wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her away from the puddle on the floor carefully.

"Be careful," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her sweaty temple. "Let's get Brian and get you to the hospital, okay?" He helped her through the door of the bathroom and towards the dining area where all of their friends were. "Brian!" He yelled across the room towards the man. Brian barely had enough time to glance in their direction before Beca was bent over, clutching her stomach with one arm and resting into Jesse's side, with the other wrapped around his waist, crying out in pain. This contraction hit her barely five minutes after the last. "Yeah, so Beca's water broke..." He called out as he tightened his hold on her.

Brian rushed across the room, bending over in front of Beca. "Hey, Beca, how're you doing? How far apart are the contractions?"

"Um, like five minutes, I think." Jesse said as Beca took a couple of deep breaths once the tension in her stomach started to dissipate.

"My water broke after the first contraction I felt." She said after a few moments, carefully standing up fully once again. Brian followed her, laying his hands on her stomach. "This was the third. Is that okay? Is it bad that I didn't feel them?" She whispered.

"You're doing fine, Beca. A number of women don't even realize they're in labor until the water breaks or they notice some bloody show. Tell me about what happened when your water broke?"

"Um, I thought I had to pee. I was feeling a ton of pressure in my stomach, and then I had the first contraction, and Jesse came into the bathroom, because he heard me cry out. It felt like a water balloon popped inside of me and that I pissed myself. It was pinkish and only a small puddle."

"Well, the coloring gives an indication that your mucus plug is dislodging-" Beca slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Stop. You're gonna make me throw up." She dropped her hand from his mouth to rub some of her sweaty hair out of her face.

"All I was trying to say is that that is a sign that you're cervix is starting to dilate. Let's get you to the hospital so that I can check you out and see how many centimeters you are, okay?" She nodded her head. He glanced at the time on his clock. "I think you're next contraction will hit you in a moment, so we'll wait for it. Then, will start moving, okay?" She nodded her head again. About a minute and a half later, she cried out again, sagging into Jesse's side. The two of them talked her through it, and then they began moving her towards the door.

"Jesse, my bag!" She said, thinking of the bag they had packed for going to the hospital on Wednesday. They didn't have it with them, and it had clothing, blankets, baby clothes-everything that she thought she might need for her stay and when they went home.

"I have your purse and sweater over here." Chloe said, rushing to Jesse's other side, smiling.

"No, she means the hospital bag. We have it at home." Jesse told her as he and Brian supported most of Beca's wait, trying to cover as much ground as possible before her next contraction hit.

"Oh, we can go get it right now." Amy said, shaking her keys (which had a key to their condo on it-all of their friends that lived in L.A. had keys to the condo). "You guys get to the hospital, and Bumper and I will go to your condo and get the hospital bag. Okay?" Beca nodded her thanks and focused on getting out the door and to Jesse's car with the help of her husband and her OBGYN. She cried out as another contraction hit her. Her babies were coming _fast_.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, so this one is a little shorter than the others, but I wanted to stop it there, because I'm not going to write out the description of Beca pushing a baby out of her vagina or her getting hacked open to pull a baby out via c-section. I don't think any of us need to read that. It already got a little nasty with the mentioning of the mucus plug/bloody show business (which is all a tasty part of labor). As for how quick the babies are coming-I did some research (since I myself am not nor have I ever been pregnant previously) and I came across some women who went to the doctor for a checkup while they were pregnant with twins and the doctor was like, "hey, you're four centimeters dilated." That is what I was trying to get at here-Beca had no idea that she was in labor until it kind of hit the final stretch. **

**Beca and Jesse's friends were always going to find out the truth about their sham marriage. These two couldn't lie to their **_**family**_** for that much longer. I have no plans of having Cole out their secret for them, but because he has no intention of actually lying for the two of them to Stacie, they do get the kick in the rear that they need tell them. However, their announcement doesn't happen anytime soon, because all of the girls forget about the weirdness over Beca and Jesse and Cole with the babies' arrival...for awhile, anyway. **

**So, the next chapter is going to chockfull of goodness: Abby and Alex are finally here; Jesse and Beca admit that they love each other; the gang finds out that they got married so Jesse could stay in the country; then, a little happily ever after moment at the very end. Review, please! **


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